Married Army instructor, 30, ‘raped teenage recruit after telling her she’d lose her job if she didn’t do what he wanted – and only stopped when his wife rang him’, court martial hears

• Corporal Thomas Biggs, 30, allegedly raped an 18-year-old trainee, court heard
• He ‘pressurised’ trainee into performing oral sex after getting her out of bed
• The British Army instructor denies one charge of rape and the trial continues

By Bhvishya Patel For Mailonline

Published: 11:16, 17 August 2021 | Updated: 16:53, 17 August 2021

A married British Army instructor allegedly raped a teenage recruit after waking her in the middle of the night and telling her she would lose her job if she did not do what he wanted, a court martial heard.

Corporal Thomas Biggs, 30, ‘pressurised’ the 18-year-old trainee into performing oral sex on him after getting her out of bed at 3am when he was drunk at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester, Hampshire.

The instructor’s alleged victim said she felt she had ‘no other option’ after the army instructor kept telling her ‘you’ll lose your job’ unless she complied.

And the attack was only interrupted when Cpl Biggs took a call from his wife which distracted him, Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard.

Wing Commander Michael Saunders, prosecuting, said: ‘[Cpl Biggs] had got [the recruit] who was 18 years of age out of bed in the early hours when he was drunk and ended up leading her to an isolated location and pressurised her in to performing oral sex.

‘He told her she would lose her job. He was a Corporal instructor, she was a young recruit, he was drunk, she submitted to him but she did not consent.’

The court heard that Cpl Biggs went to the recruit’s room in the early hours and woke her up by calling her name.

‘She described thinking that he had come in to her room to tell her some bad news, so she went with him into the corridor,’ Wg Cdr Saunders said.

‘She was standing with her back to the wall by the fire door and she says he started to talk to her about wearing a tight-fitting outfit, some pyjamas he had seen her wearing a few days ago.

‘He asked her whether she was trying to impress him or some of the other Corporals.’

The prosecutor said they were interrupted by somebody walking in the hallway, so Cpl Biggs led her through a fire door where he proceeded to grope her. He then ‘pressurised’ her to perform oral sex on him.

Wg Cdr Saunders continued: ‘She made a comment that he could lose his job and she said he replied ”no, you’ll lose your job”.

Wg Cdr Saunders told the court martial the recruit managed to get away and returned to her room crying.

A video of the alleged victim’s interview with military police was also shown in court.

She told officers she could smell alcohol on the breath of Cpl Biggs after he woke her up and she followed him into the corridor.

She said:

‘I don’t know what was going on, I thought I was receiving some bad news. He was really close to me… he just kept looking around and asking ”do you know why you are here?”

‘He was saying ”I saw you in your grey tight pyjamas, you’re trying to impress all the Corporals, trying to impress me”.

‘I said ”I don’t even know you”. He was talking about my features saying you have got a really nice a*** and t**s and stuff like that.’

She explained that a girl from her room came out and went to the toilet, prompting Cpl Biggs to open a fire door and take the recruit through the door.

She said: ‘He was saying, do I want to see any parts of him. He said I have seen you, do you want to see me? Obviously I was like, no.’

She added: ‘I said ”this is stupid”, I kept repeating you will lose your job, you will lose your job but he kept saying ”no you’ll lose yours”.’

The alleged victim told police she complied because he told her she could lose her job.

She said: ‘That’s the reason why I did it because at that point I was scared he would use that against me.

‘If he didn’t threaten me with the fact I could lose my job… that really got to me I just thought I’m not risking anything where I am now.

‘He’s a Corporal, he has power against me, I’m just a recruit, I have nothing.’

The court heard Cpl Biggs told military police the pair ‘flirted’ in the corridor and the recruit started kissing him before starting to give him oral sex.

Giving evidence in court, the recruit denied this and said she only complied because he had ‘threatened’ her.

‘It would never have got to this point if he wasn’t saying the things he was saying, bringing work in to it,’ she said. ‘It was like, this is what’s going to happen to you if you don’t just get on with it.’

Cpl Biggs, of the 3 Armoured Close Support Battalion of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, denies one charge of rape.

The trial continues.

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