RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show
RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom tried 15 courts-martial from 2024–2026. Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 46% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 24% Air Force-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom › 2024–2026
Short answer: RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom tried 15 courts-martial from 2024–2026. Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 46% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 24% Air Force-wide. The median confinement was 6 months and the punitive discharge rate was 62%, both the same as across the Air Force.
The General Article Was Charged Most Often
Charges are listed for 13 of the 15 cases, and one case can be counted under several articles. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 6 of them (46%), compared with 24% across the Air Force. Article 112a (drug use or possession) appeared in 4 (31%), compared with 20%.
Article 128 (assault) and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) were each charged in 3 cases (23%). Article 120b, Article 87a (resistance, flight, breach of arrest), and Article 91 (insubordinate conduct toward an NCO) were each charged in 2 cases (15%). Article 112 (drunkenness and other incapacitation) was charged in 1.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 46% | 24% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 31% | 20% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 23% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 23% | 16% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 15% | 9% |
| Art. 87a Resistance, flight, breach of arrest | 2 | 15% | 1% |
| Art. 91 Insubordinate conduct toward NCO | 2 | 15% | 1% |
| Art. 112 Drunkenness and other incapacitation | 1 | 8% | 1% |
Fewer Contested Cases Than in 2019–2023
Pleas are recorded for 14 of the 15 cases: 9 guilty pleas and 5 contested cases. The contested share, 36%, compares with 43% in the whole Air Force. In 2019–2023 the contested share at Lakenheath was 87%.
A contested case is a not-guilty or mixed plea. Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023, 5 of 12 did.
Sentences Matched the Air Force
13 of the 14 convictions carried confinement. The median term, 6 months, equaled the Air Force median of 6 months. At least a quarter of the terms were 2 years or longer.
Enlisted convictions led to a punitive discharge 62% of the time, the same rate as the Air Force as a whole. There were 5 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. All figures are sentences as announced at trial, not after plea-agreement limits, clemency, or appeal.
Who Decided Guilt and Who Was Charged
Members heard 27% of the cases with the forum listed: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 11.
The accused were 8 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 5 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That is more senior than Air Force-wide, where 58% were junior enlisted.
Fewer General Courts-Martial
There were 6 general and 9 special courts-martial. The general share, 40%, compares with 56% across the Air Force. In 2019–2023 the share at Lakenheath was 87%. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Compared With 2019–2023
Lakenheath had 23 cases in 2019–2023, about 5 a year, and about 4 a year since. The median confinement went from 9 months to 6 months. The punitive discharge rate went from 75% to 62%. In groups this small, a few cases can move these figures.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 15 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 87% | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 12 | 1 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 92% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 87% | 40% |
Ramstein AB and McConnell AFB
Ramstein AB, Germany tried 20 cases in the same years and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 21. Ramstein had a contested share of 59%, a median confinement of 9 months, and a punitive discharge rate of 65%. McConnell had 21% contested, a median of 3 months, and a rate of 44%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom | 15 | 36% | 1 of 5 | 6 months | 62% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
Dates and Limits
Lakenheath tried 5 cases in 2024, 4 in 2025, and 6 so far in 2026, from May 2024 to October 2026. Together they are 3% of the 598 Air Force courts-martial in those years.
Special trial counsel took over prosecution decisions for covered offenses on December 28, 2023, and sentencing parameters cover cases where every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Because the records list trial dates only, they cannot sort these cases by which rules applied. Evidence and plea terms are not in the records either.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom with a trial date in 2024–2026 (15 cases), compared with all 598 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 23 Cases (another period)
- JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 15 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, 2024–2026
- Jeremy L. Mooney
- Christine L. Norton
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Lance R. Smith
- Brian Michael Thompson
- Ja Rai Antoinette Williams
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.