ROYAL MARINES CAPTAIN ACCUSED OF RAPE TOLD POLICE SEX WAS CONSENSUALÂ
A captain in the Royal Marines, accused of raping a woman at a military facility in Dorset, has expressed his surprise at the allegation, asserting that the encounter was consensual.Forty-seven-year-old Ricky Shepherd is currently standing trial at Bournemouth Crown Court, facing charges including rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration, and sexual assault stemming from an incident in the early hours of November 24, 2023.
The court was informed that the woman accepted Shepherd’s invitation to sleep in his bed after socializing and drinking at the officers’ mess on the military base.
Prosecutor Richard Onslow told the jury that the complainant had sent Shepherd WhatsApp messages indicating she simply wanted to sleep, and she had told him to stop when he tried to engage in sexual activity.
During her police interview, the complainant explained that she removed her clothes before entering Shepherd’s bed but emphasized that this did not give him the right to have sex with her against her will.
The court also heard that Shepherd, when questioned by police, stated that both of them had been wearing underwear when they got into bed and that they had mutually taken them off.
He claimed that they then engaged in consensual sex that night and again the following morning.
Shepherd told police: “She came into my room willingly, I was in my underwear, she stripped down to her underwear, and at some point, we began kissing, groping, and engaging in other activities.
“I don’t know exactly how it happened, but her underwear came off, ours came off mutually, and we started having sex.
Yes, we had sex in my bed.
“We fell asleep together, and I know we had sex again the next morning.” He further stated that after the incident, he drove the complainant to her car, and they shared a light-hearted conversation.
He expressed that he was “shocked” and “really confused” by her accusation of rape.
When asked why he believed she made the claim, Shepherd suggested he thought she might have been embarrassed if others found out.
Shepherd, who was stationed at Hamworthy, Poole at the time, denies all the charges, and the trial is ongoing.
