Female Royal Navy sailor denies groping male and female shipmates saying they made up claims because she is ‘loud and opinionated’

A female Royal Navy sailor denied groping her male and female shipmates, saying they made up her claims because she was ‘loud and stubborn’, a court-martial has heard.

Able Seaman Sian Dowsett, 25, is accused of carrying out a series of ‘opportunistic’ attacks on four fellow soldiers and women on a warship.

Two male and two female colleagues on HMS Dauntless reported having their nipples, bottoms, breasts and groins pinched and pinched.

But the sailor claimed the complaints were part of a ‘conspiracy’ against him and that he ‘didn’t like’ any of his fellow soldiers.

AB Dowsett appeared at Bulford Martial Court in Wiltshire on Wednesday, where he denied seven charges of sexual assault.

Military prosecutors said his crimes ‘ranged from nipple pinching to butt slapping and genital grabbing’.

It is alleged that she grabbed male sailors by the crotch, caressed their arms, and made statements such as “I love my coffee the same way I love my big and strong men.”

AB Dowsett is also alleged to have slapped a man’s bottom on three separate occasions.

However, he said that he made up this accusation because he reported that his ‘best friend was buying cocaine from Colombia’.

Sailor with ‘bisexual tendencies’: ‘Do you like the girl?’ It was also claimed that he hit women’s butts and squeezed their breasts.

Giving evidence, AB Dowsett told the court there were ‘rumors’ about him on the ship and that he was hated because he was ‘generally noisy’.

Asked why his colleagues made the allegations, he said: ‘Because I was loud and opinionated, did my job and they all said I didn’t get into trouble.

‘I was loud and confident and knew what was right and what was wrong. I’m a loud person in general.’

Prosecutor Graham Coombes said: ‘You suggest that they initially gave an incorrect report.

‘They then met up with someone else and said they witnessed it.

‘They then went to the service police and lied to the service police.

‘They then pushed this lie throughout the trial and then lied during the court proceedings as well.

‘And you say they did it because you were a bit opinionated.’

AB Dowsett claimed his shipmates started a ‘plot’ against him when he left the battleship to work on HMS Drake.

She said they didn’t like her when she left and that’s why she made false complaints about him.

The first attack is alleged to have occurred two weeks after HMS Dauntless was deployed.

He is said to have ‘stunned’ his Able Seaman companion on the bottom as he bent over to write a list in the galley.

A week later AB Dowsett reportedly slapped her ass again in front of another sailor in the galley. It is also claimed that the same incident occurred for the third time.

He denied slapping her bottom and said: ‘I don’t know why you said that. It’s not just that I reported your best friend buying cocaine in Colombia.

The sailor (pictured outside court) appeared at Bulford Martial Court in Wiltshire on Wednesday, where he denied seven charges of sexual assault.

‘This would give [him] And [his friend] It’s an excuse to get together and make up allegations.’

AB Dowsett also grabbed a petty officer’s breasts and used his thumb and finger to ‘caress the nipple’ and ‘do you like that girl?’ He was accused of saying.

He told the court: ‘I will never use that terminology.’

On a separate occasion, the sailor was said to have told a male Leading Hand: ‘I love my coffee like I love my great and powerful men.’

AB Dowsett said he did not drink coffee and would not make such comments to either male or female shipmates.

She also refused to tell a male sailor he had ‘very nice skin’ and pinch his nipple.

The same sailor was also allegedly holding ‘his penis and balls in his hands’, as witnessed by his friend.

But AB Dowsett claimed the pair were conspiring together against him: ‘They are working together.

‘They share the same kink and often go out together so it’s a bit of a conspiracy if you ask me.’

Mr Coombes also said the Able Seaman, who had joined the ship just three days earlier, ‘slapped her ass’ while she was lying in bed.

AB Dowsett said he was not in the same cabin as the other sailor that evening because he was new on board and wanted to give him ‘space’.

He said he was ‘surprised’ when he learned of some of the allegations.

The sailor explained: ‘Yes, I was surprised because we were friends. I still continued to be friends with these people. Talking to them and being nice to them.”

But Mr Coombes said: ‘Basically the entire time we were dealing with you you were wandering around the ship sexually assaulting anyone you wanted.’

AB Dowsett has denied being sexually attracted to anyone involved in the allegations.

He said: ‘I did not like anyone on HMS Dauntless and I did not sexually assault anyone on HMS Dauntless.’

But this came after she also admitted having sexual intercourse with a gunner on board, but said they had booked a hotel room and it was consensual.

During his police interrogation, he said that he had ‘bisexual tendencies’ in the past.

However, she gave evidence and said that this happened in 2020 and that she was currently in a serious relationship with a man.

The trial continues.