A female navy chef has been spared jail after pulling a male colleague’s head into her chest at a drunken bash on a warship.
Natasha Crawley also left another male shipmate with “panic in his eyes” after straddling and “trying to kiss him”, a court martial heard.
A judge reprimanded her behaviour as “demeaning and intrusive”, after she admitted to three counts of misconduct.
However, LR Crawley was spared jail in an “exceptional” ruling, the now pregnant sailor was instead handed a 16-week suspended sentence for 18 months.
The incident took place on HMS Lancaster
PA
The events took place at a New Year’s Eve party on board the HMS Lancaster, which had been attacked by missiles on Christmas day six days earlier. In the early hours of January 1, LR Crawley reportedly appeared with a bottle of wine and red stained lips.
Prosecutor for the case Rupert Gregory said: “This case involved the defendant getting very drunk on board HMS Lancaster while it was at sea.
“She sang on karaoke while drinking red wine she brought in with her. At 2am, [the victim] was watching a Royal Marine singing when this defendant stumbled into her. He said her eyes looked dead and she put her arms against his shoulders.”
She then told him: “I’m open, ‘I’m open right now and you know exactly what that means.” Before she “grabbed [him] with both hands and pulled him into her, his head into her chest.”
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HMS Lancaster
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Afterwards, Gregory continued, a second victim “saw the defendant arrive looking tipsy at 1am or 2am, the defendant was spaced out and came and straddled his lap, facing him.
“She slid down and was staying on his lap. He pushed her away as two others dragged her away by her shoulders.”
Another shipmate said Crawley “was extremely drunk as to be incoherent, unaware of her surroundings or what was happening.”
She then told him: “I’m open, ‘I’m open right now and you know exactly what that means.” Before she “grabbed [him] with both hands and pulled him into her, his head into her chest.”
Her intoxication, and consequent inability to “talk or walk”, led to it taking an hour and a half to put her to bed – an ordeal finally over at 4am. The final charge consisted of her making a nuisance of herself during this process by “screaming and shouting” throughout the journey to her cabin.
Crawley was later reported to the Royal Navy police, to whom she admitted the offence. She had two previous offences of contravention of standing orders – by having sex on a ship in 2015, the court heard.
Her representative, Fiona Edington, said the sailor had “drunk too much and she apologises for that.
“She was unruly and it took her shipmates some time to get her to bed and that should not have happened. She has done exemplary service,” she said of the defendant, who had reportedly been working 18 hours a day aboard the ship, which had been attacked by missiles on Christmas day, “perhaps her private behaviour has not been the best.
“Sadly, she let herself down on December 31 by coming into that mess drunk, something which she regrets deeply.”
The Royal Navy has warned LR Crawley to “reflect such behaviour is utterly unacceptable,” but she has not been given a reduction in rank.
