Former HMS Queen Elizabeth Executive Officer denies raping and sexually assaulting woman
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The senior Royal Navy officer appeared before military court on June 18
A former second-in-command of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has denied raping and sexually assaulting a woman.
Captain Christopher Ansell RN pleaded not guilty to a charge of rape, two charges of sexual assault and one charge of attempted sexual assault. The 49-year-old is a former Executive Officer for HMS Queen Elizabeth.
It is alleged the offences were committed against one woman. Ansell, of the Ministry of Defence, appeared before the court martial centre in Bulford, Wiltshire, this morning (June 18). He spoke only to confirm his name, service number, unit, and to enter his pleas.
Judge Advocate General Alan Large fixed a trial date of January 18 next year and said the court martial would last around a week and take place in Bulford. A further case management hearing would take place in September.
The judge told Ansell to keep in touch with his lawyers. “I will now adjourn the case for the next hearing, which will be the further case management hearing,” he added.
Capt Ansell served aboard the £3.2bn aircraft carrier between November 2020 and February 2022. The offences are alleged to have taken place during that time. He was part of the UK Carrier Strike Group’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific and South China Sea during that time.
While this was taking place, he featured in the BBC documentary The Warship: Tour of Duty. He joined the Royal Navy and initially served on submarines before transferring to the surface fleet. Capt Ansell was also previously in command of the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans.