Army captain 'drunkenly punched and swore' at senior officer 'who tried to stop him being run over'

The captain is accused of swinging punches at the high-ranking colonel - as well as telling both him and his wife to "f**k off".

Capt Hartshorne is part of the Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search Training Regiment (Dems Training Regiment), which trains British Army and Royal Navy personnel to search for and safely dispose of explosives.

Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire was told Capt Hartshorne had left a summer ball at Credenhill Camp, Herefordshire, and turned onto a path outside the camp - but struggled to make his way home because he was drunk.

"Colonel A" and his wife, who have been given anonymity for security reasons, said they first discovered the 38-year-old lying on the grass at the side of the road, before witnessing him rise to his feet and start walking in the road itself.

Colonel A told the court that he feared Capt Hartshorne would be run over, prompting him and his wife to approach him and offer him help - to which he allegedly responded by swinging punches at them and telling them to "f**k off".

Col A then informed him he was a commanding officer to try and get him to stop, before managing to get hold of the captain for his own safety until military police arrived.

Capt Hartshorne was charged with one count of misconduct through alcohol over the incident in July 2023. He denies the charge.

Prosecuting, Captain Helen Broadbridge said Capt Hartshorne would have been "worse off" if Col A and his wife hadn't intervened.

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She said: "In the early hours... He was drinking alcohol at a summer ball. He was making his way from camp to the path, he was struggling under the interference of the alcohol.

"A commanding officer and his wife saw Capt Hartshorne in the road... They were concerned for his safety, they wanted to help him. He responded by telling them to 'F off', swinging punches and ran down the A-road."

Captain Broadbridge continued: "It's not a complex case, the Crown says his behaviour was disorderly and due to the influence of alcohol.

"Col A was, at the time a commanding officer, he and Captain Hartshorne did not know each other before that night.

"He did this to people trying to help him, you might think he would be worse off if they had not attended to him."

Giving evidence, Col A said he feared Capt Hartshorne would have been run over if they left him on the road.

He told the court: "My first impression was that he had had a lot to drink and he had come from the party, he was on the grass motionless.

"He got up and stumbled into the road, my wife was extremely concerned... I did not want him to get run over. He started to get aggressive, swinging punches at myself as I was walking along.

"The first time he started swinging, two punches hit me on the back of the head. He was putting himself in a very vulnerable and dangerous position."

Barrister Matthew Bolt, defending Capt Hartshorne, suggested that the officer running away indicated he was scared of Col A.

Bolt said: "A fair inference was he did not want you near him... This situation was started by you approaching him when he did not want to be approached."

The trial continues.