After seizing a teenage recruit’s genitalia and yelling “get your c**k out” at a whiskey-fueled battalion party, a British Army soldier narrowly escaped going to jail.
The 17-year-old had just joined the illustrious Coldstream Guards when Guardsman John Mills, 27, drained a bottle of Jack Daniels and yelled at him to expose himself.
In order to “fit in,” the young recruit displayed his privates to the company of roughly a dozen soldiers, according to testimony presented at Bulford Military Court. However, Guardsman Mills “went it too far” and shoved his hand down the thigh.
youth’s pants
Later, Mr. Mills was even observed ordering soldiers to perform sex acts on themselves while holding a wooden sex toy.
The oldest continually operating regiment, the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards is renowned for its high-profile ceremonial tasks involving the royal family. He was serving in this unit.
When the Coldstream Guards are on duty outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, they are easily identifiable by their distinctive crimson tunics and bearskin caps.
Mills, who is not married, received a sentence at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire for one count of disgraceful behavior of a cruel or obscene nature.
He sobbed as he received a four-month prison term with a two-year suspension, narrowly avoiding going to jail.
The Service Prosecuting Authority did not classify it as a sexual assault since Gdsm Mills’ actions were not thought to be motivated by sexual desire.
Although there was no sexual conduct involved, Major Jon Griffiths, the prosecutor, told the court that the incident was deplorable, shameful, and heavily fueled by alcohol.
It was [the victim’s] first day in the housing complex after joining the battalion recently.
He was in his room, but he was aware that there was a block party going on in the room across the hall.
He received an invitation to join where several soldiers were enjoying some wine.
As he entered the room, there were boisterous people acting intoxicatedly. Many individuals applauded and yelled, “Get your c**k out,” and “Show us your c**k.”
He was new and didn’t necessarily feel at ease, so in an effort to blend in, like other unit members, he showed his penis.
He was given a Carling drink, Major Griffiths said, and there was a sense of camaraderie.
“At that point, Gdsm Mills began yelling at him, shoved him into his face, and repeatedly said, “Show me your c**k” and “Get your c**k out.”
He said that as the victim began to feel uneasy, Gdsm Mills “forcefully inserted his hands” under the teenager’s underwear and grabbed his genitalia for “10 to 15 seconds.”
After Gdsm Mills attempted to unzip his pants, he backed off, Major Griffiths proceeded.
“[The victim] stayed there because he wanted to attempt to blend in and not come across as weird.”
Within a short period of time, Gdsm Mills made a wooden dildo and urged other soldiers to place it in their anuses.
When the victim reported the incident, Gdsm Mills was reportedly removed from the unit and did not return until his discharge in October 2021, according to Major Griffiths.
The court was told that after consuming an entire bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, Gdsm Mills admitted to military police that he had been “blind drunk.”
Chris Cannon, speaking in defense, said: “Get your c**k out or some such remark was shouted at anyone walking into the room.
Anyone who objected was just allowed to attend the party and partake in the festivities; nothing further was done.
It was clear that Gdsm Mills simply gave in to peer pressure in this instance despite abusing his position as the victim’s superior in terms of age and expertise.
He regrets what occurred that evening; it is not something he is proud of.
He would claim that he is a larger-than-life figure who is the heart and soul of a gathering. However, it is also obvious that he is the one who overreaches and pushes boundaries, especially after a few drinks.
He is now a civilian who pays taxes. Given that he has left the macho environment, it is doubtful that he will act in the same way again.
When imposing a sentence, Judge Advocate Jane England remarked, “This was awful behavior by you. His age was seventeen.
That is a child in legal terms. He was far younger and lower in rank than you, whether or not you recognized that.
“You were acting in a bullying and frightening manner while intoxicated, but intoxication is not an excuse.
This was how he was greeted on his first day there. I doubt that was the beginning he anticipated when he joined the unit.
You can tell by how close you came to losing your freedom how seriously we consider these offenses.
While you and the others may have thought it was amusing behavior and a joke, grasping someone’s private parts against their will is a serious offense.
Additionally, Gdsm Mills, a former member of the 1 Coldstream Guards, was mandated to follow rehabilitation requirements for a program for sex offenders and an alcohol abstinence monitoring program.