Decorated former Army general charged with sexual assault

A former Army general will appear before a military court charged with sexual assault, a spokesperson has said.

Ex-Major General James Roddis, reportedly from Fife, is due to attend Bulford Military Court Centre in Wiltshire on July 17.

He was charged under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act, which covers sexual assault by touching without consent.

The 52-year-old is a former commanding officer of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, and later played a role overseeing special forces.

He also has an MBE, as well as a Distinguished Service Order, which is an award given for highly successful command and leadership during active operation.

In 2008 and 2017, he earned two Queen’s recommendations for Valuable Service.

An Army Spokesperson said: “We expect very high standards of behaviour from all our personnel and take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.

“Ex-Major General James Roddis will appear at Bulford Military Court Centre on July 17, 2024 charged with Sexual Assault contrary to Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

“We will not offer further comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

In 2021, former Major General Nick Welch faced a four-week trial at the same venue, and was then the most senior officer to face court martial since 1815.

Welch, who left the military in 2018, was convicted of a single charge of fraud in March 2021 and was jailed for 21 months for falsely claiming more than £48,000 in allowances to pay for his children’s boarding school fees.