High-ranking British officer sacked after indecent behavior overseas

LONDON

Convicted of indecent behavior, a senior British Army officer has been dismissed from the service and handed a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Maj. Gen. James Roddis, 53, admitted to inappropriate conduct involving a woman during a night out at a karaoke bar while leading a military delegation abroad.

The court martial, held at Bulford in Wiltshire, southwestern England, heard that Roddis made unwanted advances, touching and kissing the woman despite her efforts to stop him. Part of the incident was captured on video.

Roddis, who served as a pallbearer at the 2021 funeral of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, pleaded guilty to disgraceful conduct of an indecent nature.

The married father of three on Thursday was sentenced to 30 days of rehabilitation, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work, and directed to pay £2,500 ($3,300) in compensation to the victim.

The court also considered Roddis’ previous disciplinary issues. In 2023, he faced administrative sanctions and lost seniority after inappropriate conduct toward two female civil servants during another overseas assignment.

In that case, he reportedly asked questions of a sexual nature and made one woman uncomfortable by touching her.