Royal Navy sailor 'punched female colleague in face five times' after leaving do
A Royal Navy sailor punched a female colleague five times in the face and dragged her across the road, splitting her head and breaking her finger, a court martial heard.
Petty Officer James Brown, 45, allegedly threw a 'hard punch' then hit the woman 'repeatedly' four times as a late-night brawl broke out between sailors.
Leading Hand Gemma Brice had left a leaving party before the fight outside a sandwich shop left her with 'long term concussion', a badly swollen eye and five stitches to her head.
PO Brown, of Explosives Device Demolition Wing on HMS Clyde, denies one charge of GBH and an alternative charge of assault occasioning ABH, claiming it was 'self defence'.
Leading Hand Gemma Brice outside Bulford Military Court (Ollie Thompson/Solent News)
Petty Officer James Brown outside Bulford Military Court (Ollie Thompson/Solent News)Flight Lieutenant Charlotte Adams, prosecuting, told Bulford Military Court, Wilts, the incident happened in Portsmouth, Hants, in July last year.
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She said: "This case concerns the events at 3.15am, where Leading Hand Brice was assaulted by PO Brown who punched her a total of five times. She swung onto the floor, hauling PO Brown with her, where he then drags her across the road.”
The court was shown CCTV footage in which PO Brown could be seen 'shoving and punching' as a fracas broke out between sailors.
Flt Lt Adams said: "The complainant approaches PO Brown with her arms outstretched where he throws one hard punch. She seems to pause and he starts to repeatedly punch her another four times."
The court was shown LH Brice, based at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth, being dragged across the road by PO Brown. LH Brice was taken to hospital.
Having suffered head injuries and long term concussion as a result, a swollen left eye, a wound to the back of the head and a broken finger, Flt Lt Adams added: "The Crown say this amounts to really serious harm. If PO Brown intended to just protect himself in self defence, five punches was excessive.”
LH Brice had been out with friends and had been drinking all day. She said she remembered little, other than the 'tense' atmosphere when another group arrived.
Recounting her next memory she said: "I sat up and I thought 'oh my god', there was blood around the back of my eye and mouth. I didn't understand what had happened, I couldn't open my eye, I knew it wasn't right."
She was taken to hospital where she had a CT scan and arranged another appointment with medical staff for when her eye opened.
Bulford Military Court Centre (Solent News & Photo Agency)She wept as she told the court: "It's had a massive impact on me and who I am now. The healing itself was difficult. Even the broken finger, I had had it X-rayed again and it showed no sign of healing. My eye really hurt, even when it opened up."
LH Brice took three months off from work in Portsmouth dockyard.
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She said: "I isolated myself, I suffered with headaches all the time.”
Cross-examining her on behalf of PO Brown, Edward Hand suggested there came a point in the 'fracas' when LH Brice 'went to attack him' and 'anything that happened after that was an attempt to push you off'.
She denied this.
Another female sailor, who had been at the leaving do, said the row escalated after 'banter' between the group.
The trial continues.
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