British Army sergeant, 42, who stroked male colleague’s thigh before groping female marine at UK’s nuclear warfare training site is spared jail

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER 19:09 13 Oct 2026, updated 19:10 13 Oct 2026

A British Army sergeant who sexually assaulted two Royal Marines at a military nuclear warfare training centre has been spared jail after blaming his behaviour on alcohol and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sergeant Martin Leatherbarrow, 42, stroked a male Marine’s thigh towards his genitals and kissed him on the head before grabbing a female colleague’s bottom and whispering ‘God, you’re so nice’ into her ear.

The soldier, who served in the Army for more than 25 years, targeted the two junior-ranking Marines during a drunken evening at the Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (DCBRN) Centre near Salisbury, Wiltshire.

A court martial heard how Sgt Leatherbarrow, who was a permanent member of staff at the facility, repeatedly made unwanted advances towards the pair while they were visiting the centre for a training course.

The male Marine was left feeling ‘shocked, confused, and vulnerable’, while his female colleague was seen crying following the assault.

But despite a military judge condemning his actions as ‘deliberate, consistent and entirely unacceptable’, Leatherbarrow escaped a custodial sentence.

Instead, he was handed an 18-month service community order and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to two charges of sexual assault.

Bulford Military Court heard that Leatherbarrow, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was suffering from PTSD and drinking heavily following the breakdown of his marriage.

Prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Neil Keery said the two Marines had been attending a course at the DCBRN Centre in Winterbourne Gunner, which trains members of the Armed Forces to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

On the final evening of their course, the pair visited the senior officers’ mess, where they encountered Leatherbarrow, who they had never previously met.

Lt Col Keery told the court: ‘During the course of that evening, the defendant subjected them to unwelcome attention and sexually assaulted them both.’

Leatherbarrow initially singled out the male Marine, looking him up and down and commenting on his ‘vivid shirt’, leaving him feeling ‘uncomfortable and awkward’.

The sergeant then began discussing his experiences in Afghanistan and became emotional, prompting the Marine to offer him support.

But Leatherbarrow took advantage of the situation by placing his hand on the man’s knee and moving it up his thigh.

Lt Col Keery said: ‘[The male Marine] didn’t want to interrupt him as he knew he was becoming emotional. The defendant placed his hand upon [his] knee and moved his hand up his thigh, up his leg, towards his genitals.

‘The defendant continued to stroke [the Marine’s] thigh.’

The Marine attempted to shuffle away and used his elbows to prevent Leatherbarrow from getting closer.

But the sergeant persisted, putting his arm around the younger man’s shoulder, pulling him towards him and kissing the top of his head.

The Marine subsequently told others at the bar that Leatherbarrow had been ‘handsy with him’.

During the same evening, the sergeant also made a series of sexually inappropriate remarks towards a female Marine.

Lt Col Keery told the court: ‘She said that the defendant said out of the blue, ‘I promise I am not going to finger you’. This made her feel uncomfortable, and she went into the snooker room.

‘Later, the defendant went into that room and tried to persuade her to join them again.

‘When she was leaving, she was sexually assaulted by the defendant. He grabbed her bum on the right side and said in her ear, ‘God, you’re so nice’.’

Both Marines reported the assaults the following day.

In a victim impact statement, the male Marine described feeling betrayed after attempting to comfort Leatherbarrow during their conversation about his military experiences.

He said: ‘The incident itself, I felt emotionally used as I was giving emotional support.

‘When I heard about my colleague’s experience and how she was harassed by him, it changed my mind about the incident.

‘To be told that he pleaded guilty at the last minute, although it was a great result, it was a kick in the teeth.’

The court heard that Leatherbarrow, who holds the Iraq Medal and Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, had since been medically discharged from the Army because of PTSD.

His barrister, Annabel Hazlitt, said he had turned to alcohol as a form of ‘self-medication’ while struggling with his mental health and the collapse of his marriage.

She said: ‘This is a man who not only had good service, but you might think exemplary service, and was already facing a medical discharge for PTSD.

‘He had known nothing else. This came at a time of the breakdown of his marriage, self-medication of alcohol, and discharge from the Army.’

Leatherbarrow admitted both offences on the first day of his trial.

Sentencing him, Assistant Judge Advocate General John Atwill said the sergeant had ignored clear signs that his advances were unwelcome.

Addressing the assault on the male Marine, he said: ‘In relation to count one, you repeatedly directed personal attention towards him.

‘You told him you preferred male company and asked him to go to the cinema with you.

‘That young man didn’t know what to do. He physically positioned himself to prevent any further movement of your hand.’

The judge said Leatherbarrow had also followed the female Marine into the snooker room, ‘invaded her personal space and grabbed her buttocks’.

He added: ‘Both of these were deliberate acts of unwanted touching. The first victim said he felt shocked, confused, and vulnerable by your conduct.

‘The second victim said she felt uncomfortable, and she removed herself from your presence, and she became visibly upset. Witnesses said they saw her crying after the incident.’

Judge Atwill said that had Leatherbarrow still been serving in the Army, he would have been dismissed and reduced to the rank of Private.

He also criticised the fact that the assaults had taken place in a military mess, suggesting that the wider chain of command should reflect on the role excessive drinking played in the incident.

He said: ‘Your actions were deliberate, consistent and entirely unacceptable. Each victim made it clear through words, actions or demeanour that it was unwanted, but you continued.

‘All of those who know you speak of your courage, commitment and dedication. Nothing we say today detracts from those achievements but cannot excuse criminal conduct.

‘We are troubled to note that this conduct happened in the service mess. In effect, your home.

‘Many cases are preceded by an excessive consumption of alcohol, and one which the unit personnel ought to reflect upon.

‘This behaviour ought never to have happened.

‘We consider this a tragic case and one for which many lessons can be learned by you, your chain of command and the services as a whole.’

Leatherbarrow was sentenced to an 18-month service community order on each charge, to run concurrently, with a requirement to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

Pictured: Man mauled to death by tiger at Yorkshire zoo as video shows moment he walked up to the 30…

Debts paid off, bank accounts closed, then a poignant visit to the lake where their mother drowned:…

Burnham is in retreat over Russia Brexit ‘lies’: Boris and Farage blast PM’s referendum claim

Civil servant used remote working to fraudulently hold down FIVE government jobs at the same time,…

How traditional British surnames are dying out: Khan, Ahmed and Ali enter top 10 baby names and…

Terrorists are plotting drone attacks in Britain and could kill using bioweapons as AI…

Dad who fell to his death from Six Flags roller coaster levitated and made eye contact with other…

Michael Gove’s Oxford don ex-girlfriend is facing trial for possession of child abuse images

‘This is Derbyshire, not North Korea’: Son put ‘under surveillance’ by council which dumped huge…

Princess Eugenie shares sweet clip of her baby girl Adelaide as she celebrates eight years married…

London council shames fly-tippers by posting photos of them dumping rubbish after announcing…

The Badenoch bounce! Kemi boasts of ‘more to come’ as poll shows Tories leapfrogging Reform after…

Inside the new life of ‘road rage’ killer Tracie Andrews, as a Channel 5 drama retells her…

Woman crushed to death by suicidal jumper from 11th floor in Japan – but he survives: Father demands…

Trump lashes out at fury over Putin diesel deal and says ‘the EU paid Russia $250billion for energy…

Man who fell to his death from Six Flags roller coaster was riding with his son while wife and…

Sergeant, who stroked colleague’s thigh and groped woman, spared jailComments are subject to our House rules and TermsNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}

No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first.

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{#replies.comments}}{{^isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{#isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{/replies.comments}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{^replies.totalCount}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{/isComment}}The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of MailOnline. MailOnline does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content.Terms|Privacy|FeedbackOldest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}