US airman rape trial hears he ‘smuggled’ woman on to RAF Croughton

A US military serviceman accused of raping a woman on three occasions smuggled her on to his RAF base in the boot of his car, a court heard.

Jurors were told that Keharron Lee Bogstad, 24, committed the offences against a woman he met online while he worked at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire between 26 November 2020 and 28 February 2021.

The prosecution said that Mr Bogstad, who denies rape, claimed he “genuinely and reasonably” believed the woman had been consenting.

Mr Bogstad, who still lives at the US base of RAF Croughton, sat in the dock on Tuesday wearing a navy suit and tie, with a black coat over the top, while he listened to prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC open the case.

“The fact that he worked for the US Air Force and had to smuggle her on to his base no doubt added to the excitement, in her mind,” the prosecutor told the jury of five men and seven women at Northampton Crown Court.

He added “most” of their sexual encounters had been “consensual”, including “many of the more sexually adventurous encounters”.

“It was only in respect of the more violent forms of activity that she raised an objection while that activity was under way, only, we say, to be ignored by Mr Bogstad,” he added.

The prosecutor said there were three occasions when Mr Bogstad, who was 19 at the time of the alleged offences, would have “no reasonable belief” that she had consented, including one occasion when he allegedly strangled her.

Mr Jarvis said there were times when the woman “made it clear to him that she wanted him to stop, but he carried on anyway”.

The prosecutor said Mr Bogstad told police after his arrest that “they engaged in rough, consensual sexual activity” but he “would always stop if she wanted him to”.

Mr Jarvis added that a theme of their Snapchat messages given to police was Mr Bogstad’s “desire to push boundaries”.

The court heard the woman’s father had asked her about red marks on her neck, which she had previously said were caused by stubble, but she later told him they were “hand marks”.

Mr Jarvis told the jury: “She told her father there had been times when she had not wanted to have sex with Mr Bogstad, but she went along with it for his sake.”

The trial continues.