Colonel Terry Southwood once held one of the most sensitive posts in the British Army: assistant chief of staff for personnel and welfare. His remit included safeguarding the wellbeing of service personnel. This week, he was sentenced for stalking his ex-partner in a case that reflects some of the contradictions at the heart of military culture.
Over the course of several months, Southwood harassed Ms Crossley-Weir with a barrage of texts, handwritten letters and unwanted visits. He tracked her car using a concealed Apple AirTag, left flowers at her door, and defied the spirit, if not the letter, of a court-imposed non-molestation order. The result was a 12-month community order, 120 hours of unpaid work, and a requirement to attend rehabilitation sessions.
Ms Crossley-Weir, meanwhile, told the court that she was left housebound, suicidal, and suffering from severe anxiety.
This was no rogue private. Southwood had spent most of his military career in the Royal Army Medical Corps and was, by all accounts, a trusted figure. His employer since retirement, a defence contractor called Leidos, described him as “valued”. Yet the conduct that emerged in court suggests not merely personal breakdown, but something darker. When the former stewards of military welfare become a source of harm, questions have to be asked.
This case would be troubling enough on its own. But it comes against a backdrop of growing concern over the British military’s failure to deal with misconduct – particularly towards women – in its own ranks. Earlier this year, openDemocracy revealed that the Ministry of Defence had paid nearly £20m in compensation and legal fees in cases of sexual abuse, harassment and misconduct over the past decade.
Sarah Atherton, a former Conservative minister for defence people and veterans, described it to the reporter, Sian Norris, as evidence of “deep-rooted cultural and structural failings”.
Part of the problem lies in the complaints system itself. Before service personnel, usually women, can bring a grievance before an employment tribunal, they must first go through an internal process that is often painfully slow and marred by bias. Complainants are discouraged from speaking to anyone outside their chain of command. Victim-blaming is common. Those accused of harassment or worse frequently remain in post. Victims are quietly discharged.
Despite this, official optimism abounds. The MoD promises reforms: a tri-service complaints team to handle serious allegations, a taskforce on violence against women, and the creation of an Armed Forces Commissioner with investigatory powers. But even if such initiatives prove effective, they do not address the culture of silence, retaliation and denial that appears to run deep.
Nor do they reckon with the symbolism of Southwood’s descent: the once guardian of soldier welfare turned convicted stalker.
The British Army prides itself on discipline, leadership and service. But until it enforces those values internally, with consistency and rigour, such claims ring hollow. The treatment of women – uniformed or civilian – remains a litmus test.
On this, the armed forces seem to be failing.
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