‘They said: wear angelic white’: British women who accused US airman of rape tell of American military trial

British Women Describe Traumatic Military Trial Against US Airman

They said - When the verdict was delivered at RAF Lakenheath in June 2022, two British women had already endured years of legal proceedings that diverged sharply from what they expected. Tyrion Davis, a 22-year-old senior airman in the United States Air Force, faced accusations from Rebecca and Emily, both of whom had their names altered to safeguard their identities. While Davis was found guilty of sexually assaulting Emily through non-consensual penetration, the military chose to classify this offense as sexual assault rather than rape—a distinction that might have been handled differently under English and Welsh criminal law.

A Case Transferred Across Borders

Rebecca, then a 20-year-old midwifery student, had initially believed her case would follow standard prosecution procedures in England and Wales. She contacted emergency services immediately after escaping Davis's home, calling 999 while weeping. At the Suffolk police station, she became ill and vomited while recounting the violent assault she had endured. Medical professionals at a sexual assault referral centre documented her injuries, capturing photographs of bruises and bite marks across her neck.

"I didn't feel like I was a human," said Rebecca. "I know that sounds really extreme but I genuinely looked in the mirror and I didn't recognise myself."

Local detectives interviewed Rebecca over subsequent days, collecting her phone and laptop as evidence. She received a crime reference number and was assigned an independent sexual violence adviser to guide her through the legal process. However, just twenty days after Suffolk police began their investigation, they transferred jurisdiction to the US Air Force. This decision meant Davis would face a court martial rather than a British crown court jury.

Building Relationships Before the Assaults

Davis, originally from California, arrived at RAF Lakenheath in June 2017 as an aircraft metals craftsman in the 48th equipment maintenance squadron. Rebecca, aged 18 at the time, met him four months later. In February 2018, she introduced him to her friend Emily. Ten months subsequently, Davis—now 20—and Emily, then 18, married in a union that lasted until Emily departed in July 2019.

Despite the failed marriage, Rebecca maintained that Davis was a good friend who had visited her family, stayed overnight at their house, and participated in Sunday roast dinners. When her university flatmates moved out and her internet connection deteriorated in June 2020, following the first coronavirus lockdown, she requested to stay in one of Davis's spare rooms in Brandon, a rural Suffolk market town near the airbase.

The Night of the Assault

Rebecca alleges that Davis consumed marijuana before attacking her on the evening of June 8, 2020. She described being pulled onto his bed in a pitch-black room where she could not see or navigate. He bit her while she froze in fear. The assault continued until she vomited from overwhelming stress.

"I thought I was going to die there," Rebecca recalled. "Everything happened. It was rape, sexual assault and the only time he stopped is when I vomited everywhere from stress."

Davis allegedly pushed Rebecca into the shower and attempted further assault before she fled to a downstairs bedroom and barricaded the door.

The Court Martial Experience

By the time of the trial, the case had expanded to include Emily's allegations. Davis maintained that all sexual encounters had been consensual. Rebecca was particularly struck when she learned approximately one week before the court martial that the jury would consist entirely of Davis's military colleagues rather than ordinary citizens.

"It's like, if I did something wrong outside of work, having all of my nursing colleagues being on the jury," she explained. "It doesn't make sense."

Both women testified about their traumatic experiences. Davis was acquitted of ten additional counts of sexual assault and abusive sexual contact, along with two assault charges, brought by Rebecca and Emily. Rebecca, who now works for the National Health Service, and Emily shared their stories with the Guardian, reflecting on the unusual nature of receiving justice through an American military tribunal rather than the British system they had anticipated.