An RAF officer has been sacked after threatening to “end” a colleague he believed had sexually assaulted a friend.
Squadron Leader Simon Short, 40, turned “vigilante” after the alleged victim confided in him about a “serious attack”, a military court heard.
Prosecutor Lieutenant Lyndsey Jones told Bulford Military Court, Wilts, that Short was based at RAF Waddington, Lincs, and had over 20 years of experience.
She said he sent three letters between September 2022 and January 2023.
The first read: “I know what happened last year. If you go anywhere near her again I will end you…You are to leave the RAF or I will hand you to the police.”
The engineer’s actions led the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to quit the RAF after he became “fearful”. Short admitted one charge of conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline.
Judge Advocate General Darren Reed told him: “Vigilantism cannot be tolerated in a disciplined service.”
He continued: “There is no place in the Air Force for officers to take the law into their own hands. And therefore there is no place for you.”
Short was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to the man.
