A WAR hero awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal is facing trial accused of groping a woman.
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Stephens is alleged to have sexually touched her over clothes after drinking heavily at a social event in Dubai, where he is based with British Defence Staff.
The intelligence officer’s trial was set for January 13 at Catterick military court, North Yorks.
Lt Col Stephens, 44, of Essex, won his medal for trying to save colleagues trapped when their armoured vehicle plunged into a 20ft-deep canal.
He dived down five times as a firefight raged in Afghanistan. Four died in the 2010 horror.
Lt Col Stephens, from Essex, used his skills as a canoe instructor to survive when his Ridgeback vehicle plunged into a canal as he raced to help Afghan cops fighting Taliban forces in 2010.
He said later: “The vehicle filled up with water almost immediately and there was no time to take a breath. I had almost given up.
“My lungs were bursting and I had swallowed one gulp of water. At first I panicked and struggled against it but then I relaxed.
“Suddenly the most amazing thing happened. I cannot really explain it – my fiancee and my parents were shouting at me, ‘don’t give up’.
“I gave it one more go and struggled free. I reached a hatchway and went to haul myself through. I got stuck on the lip of the hatch and I thought ‘Good effort Ben – you’ve given it your best shot. At least you tried’.
“I then took in my second gulp of water. That made me struggle again and I somehow managed to get through the hatch. Then I had to swim to the surface, where I chucked up. I’d been underwater for two minutes.
“I had a euphoric feeling of surviving but an awful sense of guilt, could I have done more? I know I couldn’t. I did my best and miss every one of those guys.”
He suffered cuts and bruises, a lung infection and hypothermia after the incident and was in Camp Bastion Hospital for 14 days before returning to duty.
