# UK police should not have let US military prosecute American fighter pilot who strangled a British woman, officials say

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/uk-police-should-not-have-let-us-military-prosecute-american-fighter-pilot-who-strangled-a-british-woman-officials-say/
- Published: 2026-10-31T14:55:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T15:11:31+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16254727/police-American-fighter-pilot-strangled-British-woman.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, Art, Culture, Health, Medicine, UK, World

## Key points

- Officials say police wrongly handed the case to US military authorities.
- Wulfson was acquitted of sexual assault but convicted of strangling Steele.
- The government has launched an inquiry into how jurisdiction was transferred.

## Summary

UK officials have said Cambridgeshire police should not have handed the investigation into Captain Jacob Wulfson to the US military. The case was tried at a US military tribunal rather than in a British court, prompting the government to open an inquiry into whether the transfer complied with the rules.

Wulfson was accused by Sarah Steele of drugging, raping and strangling her at his Cambridge flat while he was off duty. He was acquitted of aggravated sexual assault but convicted of strangling her and disobeying an order not to contact her. The UK-US agreement generally allows the US military to take jurisdiction when an offence is committed on duty or against a member of its forces or its property; officials said the case did not appear to meet those conditions.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.