A Royal Navy officer has been convicted of battery for grabbing a female chef by the wrists and dragging her 20 yards into a warship's bar after she refused to do shots with him at 8am.
A court martial heard Chief Petty Officer William Smith asked Chef Chantel Warner to go for a celebratory drink before breakfast on one of the navy’s state-of-the-art destroyers as England had won in the Euros semi-final the night before.
In what was described as an ‘alcohol and adrenaline fueled joyride,’ CPO Smith was ‘adamant’ the chef did a shot with him as he repeatedly asked her before grabbing and dragging her, leaving a red mark on her wrist, the court heard.
At Bulford Military Court, Wilts, CPO Smith was found guilty of one charge of battery.
The court heard Chef Warner was alone as she was setting up for breakfast in July 2021 in the dining room for senior ranks on HMS Diamond – a type-45 guided missile destroyer.
At around 7.40am CPO Smith, a warfare specialist, entered the room and told her it was his anniversary of being in the navy and he was in a very good mood as England had beaten Denmark in Euro 2020.
Prosecuting, Major James Eveleigh said: “He invited chef Warner to celebrate by having some shots. She refused and he then repeatedly asked her to come celebrate with him and break off her duty to come and drink alcohol.
“The defendant refused to take no for an answer and grabbed her by the wrist and proceeded to pull her out.
"They went a little way to the deck and into the senior ranks bar while she made efforts to draw her hands away and made it clear verbally that she did not want to be there.
“He only released her when they got the bar. She ran out the bar to go back to her work.”
CPO Smith told the court he had a lot to celebrate that morning, including finding out his mother had been given the all clear after being diagnosed with skin cancer and that England were through to a major final for the first time in over 50 years.
In a speech to the board, Major Eveleigh described the battery as an ‘alcohol fueled and adrenaline-fueled joyride,’ after CPO Smith had been drinking as he watched the game the night before.
He said: “CPO Smith was effectively still drunk; he was in a good mood. England were through to the Euro final, his wife had received an offer of employment, his mother was no longer ill.
“At this time, he wanted somebody to share his good humour and Chef Warner was there. When she did not want to have a drink - when she refused - it did not fit and he decided he would not take no for an answer.
“What we have here is an alcohol-fueled – admittedly rather muted – adrenaline-fueled joyride.”
Chef Warner told the court she was ‘scared’ after the incident during which she said she was dragged 21 yards.
She said: “He seemed drunk because his eyes were all red, he was slurring his words and he was a bit unsteady on his feet.
“He asked me a couple of times. I said ‘no’ and he said he was not going to take no for an answer.
“He grabbed my left wrist and dragged me into the senior rates mess. It was not a tight grip but I could not release myself from it. I tried to say no but he carried on."
CPO Smith will be sentenced on a date that has yet to be set.
