Bomb squad captain who drunkenly punched senior officer who tried to stop him from being run over has been fined £2,000

A captain in the British Army’s elite bomb disposal squad has been fined nearly £2,000 for drunkenly punching and shouting “fuck you” at a senior officer who tried to stop him from being run over.

Captain Graham Hartshorne, 38, was accused of punching an Army Colonel and telling him and his wife to ‘fuck off’ after he was found stumbling drunkenly down a road at 60 miles per hour following a drunken summer ball.

The couple were said to have been ‘concerned for his safety’ when they approached him and tried to help him on the road in July last year.

Now, after a two-day trial, Captain Hartshorne has been found guilty of one count of misconduct by alcohol following the incident in July 2023.

He was fined £1,800 for his ‘aggressive’ behaviour.

Captain Hartshorne is part of the Defense Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Ordnance and Search Training Regiment (DEMS Training Regiment).

The unit trains Army and Navy personnel in searching for and safely disposing of explosives.

Captain Graham Hartshorne in a photo taken outside Bulford Martial Court where he was found guilty of an offense of alcohol abuse

A military court heard Captain Hartshorne was accused of shaking his fist at a high-ranking Good Samaritan and telling him and his wife to “fuck off”

Bulford Martial Court heard that Captain Hartshorne left the summer ball at Credenhill Camp and immediately took a road outside, but had difficulty returning home because he was drunk.

Credenhill Camp in Herefordshire is also known as Stirling Lines and is the home of the SAS.

‘Colonel A’ and his wife, whose names were not disclosed for security reasons, said that they first saw Captain Hartshorne lying on the grass on the side of the road, but then they saw him stand up and start walking on the road.

Colonel A told the court that Captain Hartshorne feared he would be run over on a road where cars often travel at 60 mph.

The pair approached him and tried to help him get off the road but he allegedly punched them and told them to ‘fuck off’.

Colonel A said he managed to reach Captain Hartshorne to keep him safe until the military police arrived.

Captain Helen Broadbridge, prosecuting the case, said Captain Hartshorne’s situation would have been ‘worse’ had Colonel A and his wife not intervened.

Captain Broadbridge said: ‘In the early hours… he was drinking alcohol at a summer ball.

‘He was making his way from the camp towards the path, struggling with the effects of alcohol.

‘A commander and his wife saw Captain Hartshorne on the road, were worried about his safety, and wanted to help him get off the road.

Captain Hartshorne pleaded not guilty but was convicted of the offense by the panel and fined £1,800

‘He responded by telling them to ‘fuck off’, punched him and ran towards road A.’

He continued: ‘This is not a complex case, the Crown says his behavior was erratic and caused by the influence of alcohol.

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

‘He did this to people who tried to help him; You might think it would have been worse if they hadn’t taken care of him.’

Colonel A, who testified, said he was afraid he would be run over if Captain Hartshorne left him on the road.

He said: ‘My first impression was that he had been drinking heavily and had come from a party, lying motionless on the grass.

Captain Graham Hartshorne, part of the Defense Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Ordnance and Search Training Regiment, is seen outside Bulford Martial Court

‘He got up and stumbled onto the road, leaving my wife extremely worried.

‘I didn’t want him to get run over.

‘As I was walking, he started to get aggressive and started punching me.

‘When he first started swinging, two fists hit the back of my head.

‘He was putting himself in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation.’

Attorney Matthew Bolt, defending Captain Hartshorne, argued that the fleeing officer showed he was afraid of Colonel A.

Mr Bolt said: ‘A fair inference was that he didn’t want you around.

‘This situation started when you approached him when he didn’t want to be approached.’

Captain Hartshorne pleaded not guilty but was convicted of the offense by the panel and fined £1,800.