A DECORATED military intelligence chief was yesterday sacked for groping a female officer. Lt Col Benedict Stephens, 44, assaulted the rookie NCO during a boozy staff night out. Stephens, honoured for bravery in Afghanistan, had been off duty in Dubai in April last year. After molesting the woman, he asked: “Are you intimidated by me?”. He had denied sexual assault but was found guilty last month. Yesterday at the court in Catterick, North Yorks, he was given a 20-week jail term, suspended for two years.
![[Queen Elizabeth II awarding a medal to Captain Benedict Stephens.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/captain-benedict-stephens-mercian-regiment-966539774.jpg?strip=all&w=640)
Judge Advocate Edward Legard said: “What you did that evening was unconscionable. “You were a decorated senior officer taking opportunistic advantage of a young female many ranks your subordinate and one who had every right to feel safe and secure in a senior officer’s presence. “The impact on her cannot be overstated. “Such was the shock of what you did to her that she became hysterical and was hyperventilating.
![[Officer displaying the Queen's Gallantry Medal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/one-highest-bravery-awards-british-926796292.jpg?strip=all&w=515)
