A Royal Navy sailor who raped his sleeping male colleague after a barbecue has been jailed for seven years.
Able Seaman Troy Glasgow took ‘opportunistic advantage’ of the horrified sailor, who was woken by an ‘excruciating pain’ after being raped in an accommodation block at a naval base overseas.
The 31-year-old ‘completely destroyed’ the life of his victim, who has since been medically discharged from the Navy due to the subsequent mental health problems which have ‘completely consumed’ his life.
Having denied rape, AB Glasgow was convicted after a three-day trial at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire and has been jailed, dismissed ‘with disgrace’ and placed on the sex offenders register.
The trial heard that AB Glasgow and the man had earlier been drinking beer at a Navy barbecue event while stationed abroad.
The pair lived in the same accommodation block, and walked home together after last orders at around 10.30pm.
The victim invited AB Glasgow – who is an engineering technician – back to his room so they could continue drinking.
After drinking vodka and listening to music, the court heard that the sailor had a video call with a woman he was ‘getting to know’ while AB Glasgow was still in the room.
Later, while the male sailor was still on his phone, AB Glasgow fell asleep on the bed.
After falling asleep himself, the sailor, who is heterosexual, woke in the early hours of the morning to horrific pain.
When he realised what was happening, the sailor reacted in ‘pure rage,’ swinging at AB Glasgow with a vodka bottle before shouting ‘get out’ and pulling a knife from his multi-tool before being restrained by crewmates, the court heard.
The sailor then jumped off a nearby jetty into the sea because he ‘felt dirty.’
He said in a victim impact statement: ‘This incident has severely impacted my mental health and have had mental health problems brought on as a direct result of the incident.
‘I feel like I have been stuck living in a nightmare.’
The court heard that the victim suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, takes anti-depressants daily and suffers panic attacks.
He continued: ‘Without my medication I am unable to sleep.
‘I wake up in the night visibly shaking and start crying for no reason.’
The court heard that the victim avoids seeing his parents and daughter as he feels like he has ‘let them down’.
‘I used to be confident and outgoing, now I’m withdrawn and avoid social interactions as much as possible.
‘My career has spiralled so uncontrollably, I have now been medically discharged. I am on my own and isolated. I feel like a loner and that I will spend the rest of my life this way.
‘My future is no longer certain or stable – something that the Navy offered. I can’t imagine a future for me with anything positive. This incident has completely destroyed my life and future.
‘My mental health problems have completely consumed my life. I feel like I have lost everything. I am not the same person I was before. I am scared I will never be the same again.’
Sentencing Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor, said the assault had had a ‘devastating impact’ on the victim’s mental health.
He said to AB Glasgow: ‘You both fell asleep.
‘When you awoke, you were aroused and took opportunistic advantage of his sleep.
‘He was comatose and was not in a position to give consent or resist.
‘It is certain that your actions have had a devastating effect on [the victim’s] mental health.
‘You can no longer remain in the Navy and you must be dismissed.
‘We consider your conduct to have been disgraceful.’
By: RACHEL MUIR FOR MAILONLINE