British women who accused US airman of rape recount traumatic military trial
Two British women who accused US airman Tyrion Davis of rape and sexual assault shared their experience of a military trial where he was convicted on only one count.
Rebecca (name changed) called 999 in tears after fleeing the home of US airman Tyrion Davis in Suffolk in June 2020, reporting that he had raped her. She recalls vomiting at a police station while describing repeated violent attacks. A medical exam documented bruises and bite marks on her neck. 'I didn't feel like I was a human,' said Rebecca, then a 20-year-old midwifery student.
Suffolk police initially investigated but after 20 days transferred the case to the US Air Force. This meant Davis would avoid the British justice system and face a court martial at RAF Lakenheath. Rebecca said she was promised a faster trial – within six months – but it stretched to two years, forcing her to drop out of her midwifery degree.
At trial, Rebecca testified without a screen in a small courtroom on the military base, just meters from the accused. She took off her glasses to avoid seeing Davis. Days before, she was advised not to wear red, but white, 'to look more angelic'.
The second accuser was Davis's estranged wife, Emily. She alleged multiple sexual assaults, including one night in July 2019 when she repeatedly said 'no' as he rolled her onto her back and raped her. Emily said she bled and struggled to walk for days afterward.
Davis was convicted of sexually assaulting Emily – an act involving non-consensual penetration – but acquitted on 10 other counts of sexual assault and abusive sexual contact, and two counts of assault. Both women criticised the military jury composed entirely of Davis's peers.
