A senior naval officer was given a gong in the King’s Honours List while under investigation in the sex pest scandal that engulfed the submarine service, the Mail can reveal.
Embarrassingly for the Royal Navy, it is understood the man was nominated by a superior for the prestigious award – and the most senior officer in the service, Sir Ben Key, ‘hit the roof’ when he found out.
Last week Sir Ben, the First Sea Lord, apologised to women following an internal inquiry which confirmed sexual attacks, misogyny and bullying – as exposed by a Daily Mail investigation – had become ‘normalised’.
He admitted sailors had suffered ‘intolerable’ harassment and abuse while serving on Britain’s nuclear deterrent. A total of 21 men have now been sacked, with others demoted or given lesser reprimands.
Now the Mail can reveal that behind the scenes Sir Ben was furious when he found out that while the sex pest investigation was under way, one of the accused men been given a gong in the King’s Honours List.
It is understood the service is now desperately trying to claw it back by asking the Honours Committee to rescind it.
At the time, the officer was being investigated over claims made by warfare officer Sophie Brook that he inserted his penis in her pocket, blew on her neck and licked her ear during a deployment on a Royal Navy submarine.
Military chiefs launched their investigation after Ms Brook’s story was revealed in the Daily Mail. The inquiry dragged on for two years, during which time Ms Brook and other brave whistleblowers were forced to endure the uncertainty of the process, not knowing what it would conclude.
Yet during that time, the officer against whom she had made serious allegations was enjoying the trappings of life in the so-called ‘senior service’.
The man attended official Navy dinners and was feted by his colleagues. He was even ‘promoted’ in rank.
And he was nominated for one of the highest honours the nation can bestow. It was announced that he was among those granted ‘state honours’ with a gong in one of the King’s Honours Lists which are designed to ‘mark the extraordinary contributions and service of people across the UK’.
The report has concluded that some of the claims against the man were true, including licking Miss Brook’s ear and blowing on her neck, apparently in a prank to distract her while she was using the submarine’s periscope. However it is believed the claim that he inserted his penis into her pocket was not upheld.
It is understood the officer has not been sacked, and although ‘action’ was taken to punish him for his role, he remains in the service.
Meanwhile a so-called ‘forfeiture committee’ has been set up by top brass to recommend removing his honour on the grounds of it bringing the service into disrepute, and it recently made that recommendation to the Honours Committee, which is part of the Cabinet Office, to consider.
A Navy source said: ‘It is not like the First Sea Lord was frightened of sacking anyone. He did. But the actions taken were dependent on the findings of the inquiry.’
Announcing the findings of his damning inquiry last Friday, Sir Ben Key gave an unreserved apology to the Mail’s brave whistleblower. Ms Brook, 32, was the first female warfare officer, and she lifted the lid on the horrifying reality of sexual harassment beneath the waves since the ban on women serving on submarines was lifted in 2011. She was put on a vile ‘rape list’ drawn up by sick male colleagues and subjected to lewd and humiliating behaviour.