A Scottish former senior Army officer with a decorated career is to appear before military court later this month charged with sexual assault.
The Army has confirmed that Major General James Roddis is due to attend Bulford Military Court Centre on July 17 charged under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The 52-year-old was born in Aberdour, Fife, and was until recently the director of strategy for Strategic Command – an organisation comprised of special forces and intelligence units among other responsibilities.
The married father-of-three, regarded a war hero for his leadership in active operations, was widely tipped to become the leader of the British Army, but is no longer serving.
An Army spokesperson said: “We expect very high standards of behaviour from all our personnel and take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.
“Ex-Major General James Roddis will appear at Bulford Military Court Centre on July 17, 2024, charged with Sexual Assault contrary to Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. We will not offer further comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.”
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Roddis received a number of accolades over his 30-year military career, including a Distinguished Service Order – an award given for highly successful command and leadership during active operations.
He was made an MBE and also earned two Queen’s Commendations for Valuable Service in 2008 and 2017.
In 2014, he was commanding officer of The Highlanders – troops from the 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland – who were then the last Scottish battalion to serve in a combat role in Afghanistan.
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Maj Gen Roddis, the eldest son of a Royal Navy officer, was also made deputy colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, in an honorary role alongside King Charles. It is thought he is the most senior army officer in military history to be charged with alleged sex offences.
In 2021, former Major General Nick Welch faced a four-week trial at the same venue, and was then the most senior officer to face court martial since 1815.
Welch, who left the military in 2018, was convicted of a single charge of fraud in March 2021 and was jailed for 21 months for falsely claiming more than £48,000 in allowances to pay for his children’s boarding school fees.
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