A court heard that the founder of an Army veterans organisation made a dare to inspect a woman’s bottom to see whether she was wearing underpants.
In a hotel in Westminster, London, the lady posed for a photo with Timothy Evers, 54, who denies abusing her sexually.
On October 5, 2017, the former Royal Engineer who started Sapper Support was present at a charity awards ceremony where he had received the title for Best New Charity.
According to the victim, she had not been drinking when Mr. Evers urged her to “come over this way” for a picture and approached her, Westminster Magistrates Court heard.
“I didn’t enjoy that.” I found it strange,” she replied.
She said that after that, they moved to a different area of the structure, where she saw several people gathered on the stairwell.
“I assumed they wanted a group photo.” Everyone was laughing as they saw him snap a shot of me.
One of them snapped the picture.
He wrapped his arm around my waist [pointing to her waist] and placed his hand on my behind. He completely around my bottom with his hand before giving it a squeeze.
According to the lady, Mr. Evers then said that he had been attempting to see whether she was wearing underwear as a challenge from his colleagues.
I yelled at him and screamed, “You’re not permitted to do that,” she continued. I made an effort not to weep. I had to go. I had to go. Then I started crying.
She said that after that, she went and explained what had occurred to someone there.
She stated, “I was weeping and screaming, “That bloke just touched my a**e.”
“At an event like that at that time of night, I guess everyone’s a little squiffy,” the lady said. He wasn’t falling over.
When I got home, I sat in my room. I was so upset I started weeping. I was quite angry. I had the idea to contact the cops. I didn’t, however.
I was quite ashamed. I don’t want to use the term “triggered,” but being touched on a private part of myself really upset me.
I kept asking myself what I could have done to stop it, which made me feel really furious with myself. I was upset with myself for leaving where I was and following him.
When she later reported the event to Sapper Support, they responded that “exuberance and fizz were at fault.”
I believed it to be him. The lady added, “I thought it was really dismissive and didn’t connect with the reality that I was upset.”
The event was reported by the alleged victim in 2020.
She said, “It occurred just before the #MeToo movement, which was crucial to me.”
Mr. Evers, of Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, alleges someone else touched the woman’s bottom and denies sexually assaulting her.
The veteran admitted to the court that he only drank one glass of champagne that evening at the gathering.
This was a significant event for him, he remarked. We were a relatively young nonprofit. I only I could recall it.
He said that after asking the lady for a photo for his social media, she readily accepted.
My arm was wrapped around her waist. I was holding my award, he declared.
The images were hazy, and it was dark. I got rid of them. I promised not to disturb her ever again.
She claims that you dropped your hand and gripped her buttocks, his attorney questioned.
Mr. Evers said, “That did not happen,” in denial of sexually abusing the lady.
I didn’t know who had done it,’ he subsequently claimed. I believed one of my volunteers could have committed the crime.
Mr. Evers enlisted in the Royal Engineers in 1992, subsequently serving in Bosnia with the 33 Engineer Regiment EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Wimbish.
After leaving the military, the father of two went into the fire service, and in 2014, after learning of a friend’s PTSD-related death, he founded Sapper Support.
Tomorrow’s trial is still ongoing.