Decorated former Army general admits disgraceful conduct

A former senior Army officer facing a charge of sexual assault has admitted disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind.

Ex-Major General James Roddis appeared at the Bulford Military Court Centre in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

His not guilty plea to sexual assault under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was accepted by the Service Prosecuting Authority.

The former officer did not attend court in person and instead appeared via video-link for the plea and trial preparation hearing, accompanied by his barrister, Jane Bickerstaff KC.

Roddis received a number of accolades during his 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.

Until recently, he was director of strategy for Strategic Command – an organisation comprised of special forces and intelligence units among other responsibilities.

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.

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.