A Royal Navy man already serving a life sentence for the murders of two women in 2001 is now facing allegations that he sexually assaulted four other women, a jury has heard.
Allegations of further assaults
The defendant, whose name has not been released for legal reasons, was convicted in 2001 for the murders of two women in the Portsmouth area. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years. Now, more than two decades later, four women have come forward with allegations that he sexually assaulted them between 1995 and 2000.
Prosecutor Sarah White KC told Winchester Crown Court that the alleged assaults occurred while the defendant was serving in the Royal Navy and stationed in Hampshire. The women, who cannot be named, claim they were attacked in separate incidents over a five-year period.
Jury hears details of the case
White said the defendant used his position and authority to target vulnerable women. “He was a Royal Navy serviceman who exploited his status to gain the trust of his victims before assaulting them,” she told the jury.
The defendant denies all four counts of sexual assault. His defence barrister, James Black, argued that the allegations are “decades old” and that the women’s memories may have been influenced by the notoriety of the murder case. “These are historic allegations that cannot be reliably proven,” Black said.
Background of the original murders
The defendant was convicted of murdering 22-year-old Sarah Jones and 19-year-old Emily Harris in 2001. Both women were found dead in their homes in Portsmouth, having been strangled. The case shocked the local community and led to a major police investigation.
According to court records, the defendant was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to both crime scenes. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002, with a minimum term of 20 years. He became eligible for parole in 2022 but was denied release.
Impact on victims and public
The new allegations have raised concerns about the safety of women in the Portsmouth area during the 1990s and early 2000s. Detective Inspector Mark Rogers of Hampshire Police said the force takes all sexual assault allegations seriously. “We encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to come forward, no matter how long ago it happened,” he said.
The trial is expected to last four weeks. The jury was warned not to be prejudiced by the defendant’s murder conviction. Judge Andrew Smith instructed them to consider the evidence for each alleged assault separately.
