Disputed USAF notification leaves UK police without a drink-driving inquiry

Christopher Mooty’s later case ended in a British conviction and driving ban

The Guardian reported on October 22, 2026, that Suffolk police were not notified of an alleged drink-driving incident involving Christopher Mooty, a USAF airman based at RAF Mildenhall, on 3/4 March 2023. The United States Air Force disputes that account, while Suffolk police say the lack of notification prevented British authorities from investigating.

Mooty, then 21, was working at the USAF base at Mildenhall, Suffolk. According to evidence at his disciplinary hearing, he met two other American airmen in a Newmarket pub, drank two or three bottles of beer over two hours and then consumed two or three vodka Red Bulls over another two hours at a second pub. The men took a taxi to one airman’s home in Bury St Edmunds before Mooty drove them to a kebab shop at around 4 a.m. after they decided they were hungry.

While Mooty was driving, a British woman who had been in a relationship with him sent messages and quickly suspected he was drunk. According to the hearing, she later said he was “the most drunk I’ve ever seen him” when he arrived at her home and added, “I’m surprised he didn’t crash/get caught.” She reported Mooty to his superiors at Mildenhall, telling them, “He is endangering the lives of the people in this country and should not be here.”

A military judge convicted Mooty of being drunk in charge of a vehicle and sentenced him to 20 days of hard labour and a demotion. Under an agreement in force since the 1950s, British police have primary responsibility for investigating alleged wrongdoing by US military personnel unless an offence occurred while they were on duty or against another member of the US armed forces or their property. The Guardian characterized the alleged failure to notify Suffolk police as a breach of that agreement.

Suffolk police said they were “not notified of a drink-driving incident on 3/4 March 2023 involving a US airman from RAF Mildenhall. We understand that the incident was investigated and dealt with by the USAF.” The USAF said: “While we do not have a specific written record of this notification occurring, there is no reason to believe that verbal notification was not provided in line with standard inter-agency coordination procedures.”

The USAF said Mooty had not been stopped by UK law enforcement while driving and that the allegation was first reported to US military authorities well after the incident. The service said no blood or breathalyser evidence was available, nor was there a first-hand police observation of impairment, as local UK prosecutors typically desired. USAF military prosecutors said they could pursue a court martial through witness testimony and what the service called “indicators of impairment.”

The USAF said it had a policy of prosecuting as many personnel as possible within the boundaries of its agreement with the UK. It said that approach maintained discipline and good order within its ranks and that the service asks British police for permission to take over cases, a request British authorities often grant.

US military judges subsequently quashed the court-martial verdict against Mooty and approved a rehearing. The rehearing was not held because Mooty was dismissed from the USAF after he was caught drink-driving a year later.

At 4:20 a.m. on March 31, 2024, a Suffolk police officer arrested Mooty in Bury St Edmunds after he drove while over the legal limit. He resisted arrest. Mooty pleaded guilty to drink-driving and resisting arrest at Ipswich magistrates court in August 2024, was banned from driving for one year and was ordered to pay fines and penalties totalling £871.

Unlike in the first case, the USAF did not ask British police to take over Mooty’s prosecution. It said it understood local prosecution to be appropriate under the agreement and that it communicated with British prosecutors. The USAF also said it helped British authorities contact another airman whose account rebutted Mooty’s defence that he had not been driving that night.

The disclosures form part of The Guardian’s investigation into crimes allegedly committed by American military personnel based in Britain. The reporting prompted the UK government and police chiefs to establish a high-level inquiry in the summer to determine whether US military personnel stationed in Britain are being brought to justice properly. The Guardian said the Mooty case also raises questions about how many other alleged offences may not have been reported to British police.

The Guardian cited a history of speeding, drink-driving and driving without insurance by US military personnel on British roads. It also cited the long campaign for justice over the killing of 19-year-old motorcyclist Harry Dunn in a 2019 road accident outside a US base in Northamptonshire. Anne Sacoolas, an American intelligence official, was the driver.