Royal Navy sailor is locked up for relentlessly bullying colleague with speech impediment so badly that he was left feeling suicidal

A Royal Navy sailor has been locked up after bullying a colleague with a speech impediment so badly he considered jumping overboard.

Oscar Sanders-Mortimer, a Leading Hand on one of the UK’s most advanced warships, humiliated a lower-ranking sailor and left him struggling to sleep, a court martial heard.

As well as mocking his voice multiple times, the newly promoted 23-year-old even bullied his married victim while naked in the ship’s showers, a panel was told.

LH Sanders-Mortimer approached the victim and said ‘get me hard’ whilst making a ‘masturbatory type gesture’, as the victim said ‘stop, stop’.

His campaign of harassment left his fellow sailor on the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan feeling suicidal.

The court was told how the victim was ‘mentally prepared for the cold water’ of the sea, but the thought of his wife and family stopped him from jumping.

LH Sanders-Mortimer pleaded guilty to one charge of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind and one charge of ill treatment of a subordinate.

He was sentenced to six months detention.

The sailor bullied and mocked his colleague while they were aboard the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan (pictured). He even approached the victim in the ship’s showers and said ‘get me hard’ whilst making a ‘masturbatory type gesture’, the court martial heard

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard LH Sanders-Mortimer’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has Asperger’s syndrome and a speech impediment.

William Peters, prosecuting, told the court that they served on Portsmouth-based HMS Duncan.

He said that the £1 billion ship was at a port in the Mediterranean in 2023, when the victim and LH Sanders-Mortimer were in the same room where people were changing into civilian clothing.

Mr Peters said: ‘[The victim] was approached by the defendant.

‘He was naked but for a towel over his shoulder and he said to [the victim] “get me hard, [victim’s name]” whilst making a masturbatory type gesture with his hand.

‘[The victim] worried the defendant’s genitals would make contact.

‘[He] put out his hand and said “stop, stop”.’

The court heard the victim found it particularly difficult living on the ship with LH Sanders-Mortimer ’24/7′, and he struggled to sleep after the incident.

The victim, who has Asperger’s syndrome and a speech impediment, was left feeling humiliated and suicidal, saying he ‘thought about jumping off the ship’

In his victim impact statement read out to the court, the sailor said: ‘I felt suicidal and thought about jumping off the ship.’

He added that he ‘mentally prepared [himself] for the cold water and what it would feel like to drown’, but thought about his wife and family and thankfully was able to reason with himself.

The court heard LH Sanders-Mortimer also mocked the victim multiple times in front of other people.

Mr Peters said: ‘[The victim] has a speech impediment and this was mocked by the defendant in front of [the victim] and others.

‘The defendant mocked [the victim]’s voice when answering the telephone – he felt bullied by the defendant’s behaviour, which left him feeling humiliated.’

Michael Green told the court that LH Sanders-Mortimer – who had been in the Navy for six years – had spent 18 months on board HMS Duncan as a lower ranking sailor before being promoted to Leading Hand in March 2023.

Mr Green said: ‘He was trying to find the balance between being pally with subordinates, the people that he had served on board with as a [junior sailor] and being able to act appropriately in this new role as a Leading Hand.’

He added that LH Sanders-Mortimer’s father is a Royal Navy veteran, which has led to ‘additional embarrassment’ for him in light of the court martial.

Sentencing him, Assistant Judge Advocate General John Atwill said: ‘This was one offence in a campaign of ill treatment by you of that man.

‘You picked on him repeatedly because of a speech impediment.

‘You humiliated him in front of others and bullied him.’

The judge noted LH Sanders-Mortimer’s ‘position of responsibility’ on the ship as a Leading Hand.

He added: ‘You bullied and degraded a vulnerable [sailor], whose vulnerability if not the diagnosis behind it was apparent to you.’

The court heard that, after an investigation, LH Sanders-Mortimer was discharged from the Navy earlier this month relating to his behaviour towards people other than this victim.

Judge Advocate Atwill added that he would have been dismissed for this if that was an option.

LH Sanders-Mortimer was sentenced to six months’ detention for disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind and eight weeks detention for ill treatment of a subordinate.

These sentences will run concurrently, and he will serve two thirds of his sentence before being released.

He will also pay service compensation of £1,000.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support