A sailor stationed in Manama, Bahrain, received 360 days confinement for indecently assaulting a British woman and making a false official statement.
In a special court-martial Sunday, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie H. Lindsey also was reduced in rank to E-1, said Cmdr. Jamie Graybeal, 5th Fleet spokesman.
Lindsey, 25, originally was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of indecent assault as part of a plea agreement, Graybeal said.
The incident involved a 19-year-old acquaintance who was in Bahrain visiting family.
She was spending the night in the sailor’s guest bedroom July 16. Lindsey was in another room with his girlfriend, but at some point during the night went into the victim’s room and touched her inappropriately without her consent, Graybeal said.
The Alabama native, an equipment operator for public works, also pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
The maximum punishment that the judge, Capt. David White, could have handed down was a year’s confinement, a bad-conduct discharge and forfeiture of two-thirds pay for a year, Graybeal said.
Lt. Brett Bowlin, who defended Lindsey, called in several character witnesses, including the sailor’s parents. The prosecutor, Lt. Armando Rodriguez-Feo, called the victim’s father to the stand and submitted a statement from the woman about how the incident affected her.
The sentencing will go before the convening authority, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, for approval.
