James Loubeau

A former US serviceman has been sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a colleague at a Suffolk airbase. James Loubeau, 37, from Miami, pleaded guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact that occurred on 4 May 2019 at RAF Mildenhall.

The incident took place after Loubeau and the victim met at a bar on the base, where the victim consumed several alcoholic drinks. Later, a friend accompanied the victim back to her on-base housing and helped her prepare for bed. The friend then left, and the victim fell asleep alone. At approximately 2.30am, the victim awoke to find Loubeau on top of her in her bed. She almost immediately called two friends to report that she had been raped.

Surveillance video captured Loubeau leaving the victim's room and returning to his dorm room. A subsequent medical examination revealed injuries consistent with sexual contact, and DNA testing later linked Loubeau to the assault. The US Department of Justice prosecuted the case under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which allows US jurisdiction over certain offences committed abroad by former armed forces personnel no longer subject to military prosecution.

On Thursday, Loubeau was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release. He had been discharged from the US Air Force in March 2020. The investigation was conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI.