Former army general avoids jail after admitting 'disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind'

5 September 2024, 18:24 | Updated: 5 September 2024, 18:52

Former Army major general James Roddis has avoided jail after admitting to 'disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind'

Former Army major general James Roddis has been sentenced to six months' imprisonment suspended for two years by a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire after admitting a charge of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind.

The decorated war hero admitted to drunkenly trying to kiss a woman in a karaoke bar.

Major General James Roddis had been drinking for several hours when he started touching the hair of the woman before kissing her on the lips, a court heard.

Roddis, 53, who had been required to resign from the Army in May following a misconduct process, was also formally dismissed from the military by the court martial board.

The board also ordered Roddis, a married father-of-three, to complete 30 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours unpaid work and pay his victim £2,500 compensation.

Graham Coombes, prosecuting, said that while off duty the delegation had taken part in a local tradition of two hours' unlimited drinking, before moving on to a restaurant and finally a karaoke bar where they downed glasses of champagne."

"The complainant accepts she was drunk, and it became apparent the accused was also drunk," Mr Coombes said.

Shortly after midnight, a member of the party was filming the filling of a champagne fountain and in the background Roddis can be seen touching the complainant's hair and she indicates with her finger for him to stop.

The court heard the kiss was not captured on film but the lead up to it was.

"He begins to touch and inappropriately touch and play with her hair and touch her ponytail before putting his arm around her,"

Mr Coombes said."She turns to the accused and asks him to stop. She turns towards him and raises her finger appealing to him to stop. She says she didn't know what else to do to stop him touching her hair.

"You can see her raise her eyes and indicate her displeasure."

A few minutes later, Roddis puts his hands on her chin and kisses her on the lips for around two seconds."She says this was completely uninvited and without warning," Mr Coombes said.

Mr Coombes told the court the woman later messaged her husband, telling him: "Just because you are a two-star general you don't get to touch me."

The following day, the woman asked to speak to Roddis in private on the flight home and told him his behaviour the previous evening was unacceptable.

"The accused apologised and replied, 'I need to resign'," Mr Coombes said.

"The accused asked her if she intended to make a formal complaint and if she did to tell him because he would need to resign."

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