Married Army instructor, 29, is cleared of sexually assaulting female officer at Sandhurst after she accused him of thrusting his groin into her waist and kissing her while she played piano
- Staff Sergeant Dean Foster, 29, denied ever pressing his groin into the woman
- He claims he rejected a ‘not-innocent’ hug from a woman while at Sandhurst
- The cadet claims he ‘pressured’ her into drinking wine and ‘froze’ during attack
- Bulford Military Court cleared SSgt Foster of sexual assault in under an hour
A married instructor has been cleared of sexually assaulting a female officer at Sandhurst after she accused him of thrusting his groin into her waist and kissing her while she played piano.
Staff Sergeant Dean Foster, 29, denied ever pressing his groin into the woman and claimed he rejected her offer of a ‘not-innocent’ hug while he was stationed at the famous academy.
He also suggested the cadet reported him to military police after he reported her to Sandhurst for breaching its Covid-19 rules by seeing her partner.
The cadet, who can’t be named for legal reasons, said she felt the married instructor had ‘pressured’ her into drinking wine with him and claimed she ‘froze’ as he allegedly attacked her.
He was alleged to have thrust his groin into the waist of the trainee officer and kissed her face while she was playing the instrument at Sandhurst Military Academy, where Prince William and Harry both attended.
Following a three-day trial at Bulford Military Court, SSgt Foster was cleared of the piano sex assault.
Staff Sergeant Dean Foster, 29, pictured, denied ever pressing his groin into the woman and claimed he rejected her offer of a ‘not-innocent’ hug while at the famous academy
SSgt Foster admitted he made a ‘mistake’ by opening a bottle of wine and drinking with the cadet, which is against Sandhurst rules.
He had just had an argument with his six-month pregnant wife when he messaged the cadet to see if she wanted to meet in a social room at the Berkshire academy for a chat about her progress.
When she arrived at the ante room, where the piano was, she started to play when SSgt Foster entered the room and sat behind her on a sofa, the court was told.
He poured a glass of wine for her and set it down on the piano before she stopped playing and sat on a nearby sofa to have a conversation, during which the instructor allegedly became ‘unhappy’ and mentioned his pregnant wife.
But, SSgt Foster told Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire he inappropriately ‘opened up’ about his marital disputes’ and added ‘on reflection it was not the right decision’.
He denied assaulting the cadet as she sat on a chair – and in a bid to prove it couldn’t have happened as alleged a chair was brought in from Sandhurst and he pressed his groin against it.
Following a three-day trial, SSgt Foster was cleared by Bulford Military Court, pictured, of the piano sex assault at Sandhurst Military Academy
The woman also told the court that SSgt Foster had made a ‘creepy’ comment to her about her younger sister, whose picture he had seen previously, being pretty.
She said: ‘She is younger than I am and I just thought it is really creepy and I did not like it at all. He also said I look fit.’
After their conversation, the officer cadet went back to play the piano which is when she claimed SSgt Foster came up behind her and allegedly sexually assaulted her.
She told the court: ‘I was still playing piano – I felt really uncomfortable and did not know what to do so I just ignored it and I carried on playing. I thought if I just ignore it, he will go away.
‘Then he came round the back and went to the left-hand side and did the same on the left-hand side. I felt so uncomfortable – I did not want to acknowledge that he was doing it.
‘Then he kissed me on the left side of my face and it lasted for a fair while.
‘I was really scared, I did not want him to do it, I did not ask him to do it, I did not know why he did it. I felt so uncomfortable.’
The officer cadet told the court she originally did not complain to the Royal Military Police as she thought the issue was being dealt with internally at Sandhurst.
But she was left disappointed when she was told they were only going to discipline him for drinking alcohol, rather than for the alleged sexual assault.
The married soldier, whose wife was pregnant at the time, allegedly kissed the woman’s cheek as she continued to play at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (pictured) in Berkshire
SSgt Foster said he ‘regretted’ drinking with the cadet and tried to leave quickly.
‘As I stood up she stood at the same time and intercepted me’, he said.
‘She leaned in to hug me… It was a little bit awkward, I don’t want to be hugging cadets. I took half a step back and said ‘sorry, I can’t’.
‘I didn’t think I left it awkward but looking back potentially it was awkward.’
SSgt Foster, of 29 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, said the allegations she made against him were ‘just lies’.
He added: ‘I was a bit annoyed to be honest, it was fairly clear that she was just trying to get in there first and turn it around on me.’
The 29-year-old was adamant he had ‘no attraction’ to the cadet, who said she had ‘trusted’ him.
SSgt Foster, who joined the Army in 2006 and has served in Afghanistan, was cleared of sexual assault by a panel at Bulford Military Court in just under an hour.
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