A British Army captain told a court martial how he lost 40 per cent of his blood and needed a transfusion after a Lieutenant hit him in the face with a vodka bottle as they played beer pong and pool in the officers’ mess.
Lieutenant David Southwick caused Captain Freddie Sochon to lose his nose when he hit him with a bottle of Absolut vodka. He left him in hospital for a week before requiring emergency medical attention.
Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard the pair had been drinking heavily with two others after a barbecue and that Lt Southwick became so drunk he began ‘throwing glass bottles’ around the room.
After he had ruined a game of cards by pouring beer on them, the other officers decided it was time for him to go to bed.
However, Lt. Southwick allegedly grabbed a vodka bottle as he walked towards the door and turned to hit his superior officer.
Capt Sochon spent a week in hospital because of his injuries. He bled so badly that he required a blood transfusion.
Lt. Southwick of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers denies one charge for assault occasioning actual bodily damage.
Army captain Freddie Sochon (pictured above) told a court martial how he lost 40 per cent of his blood and needed a transfusion after a Lieutenant hit him in the face with a vodka bottle
The court heard that the couple had been friends for many years. They both attended sixth form together in Loughborough, Leicestershire. After that, they both went to university in Newcastle.
On Friday, November 6, Lt. Southwick, along with two other officers, went to a barbecue. They celebrated Capt Sochon’s last evening at RMP Chivenor before he went on a course.
Capt Sochon testified that the night began jovially but fell apart with Lt Southwick’s drunken behavior.
He stated to the court, “After the barbecue, we came into the mess so that we could play games.”
“We played for up to three hours, playing cards, beerpong, and pool. We were all extremely drunk. We had consumed different amounts of alcohol and I had around 20 units.
“We started drinking and playing games, and at one point Lt Southwick started throwing glasses around the room.
“Some were being thrown and some were being smashed, which was disturbing for other people in the room.”
“Later, we were playing cards and Lt Southwick started pouring beer all around the cards. He was clearly more drunk than everyone else.
“At midnight, another officer and i decided it was time for Lt Southwick’s to go to bed.
‘We walked out single-file and I was behind Lieutenant Southwick.
“There was a table near the door, and I thought he was moving toward the handle. But Lt Southwick quickly grabbed a vodka container and whipped around to his right with a straight hand and hit me with it, holding it at my neck.
Bulford Military Court (file photograph, above) in Wiltshire. It was reported that the pair had been drinking heavily after a barbecue in the officers’ mess. Lt David Southwick became so drunk that he started ‘throwing glass bottles around the room’.
‘It struck my nose on the side with enough force to deviate from my septum.. I was confronted by Lt Southwick with the bottle still in hand. So I punched him in his nose.
The court heard Lt Southwick punch and sent him flying on a coffee table. He hit his head and suffered concussions.
Capt Sochon was a Lieutenant at this time. He continued: ‘Lt Southwick became upset and asked, ‘Why did I hit you?’ I replied, “Because you just hit my face with a bottle.”
“By this point, I had already painted the floor with blood and went back to my room to clean it up.”
Capt Sochon was taken to the North Devon District Hospital and later transferred at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
He was discharged that morning and returned to RMP Chivenor to stay with his grandparents. Two nights later, he woke up with his nose bleed to the point that it was so bad that he was choking on his own blood.
He was operated on later in the week under general anaesthesia and required a blood transfusion because he had lost 40% of his blood.
Lt. Southwick insists that he did not intend to strike Capt Sochon using the bottle but that he ‘perceived danger’ after his friend placed his arms on him and forgot the bottle was in the bottle.
Lt. Southwick was Second Lieutenant at that time and stated: ‘We had not argued about any other matter before this.
“Capt Sochon grabbed my arms and was clearly annoyed. He was aggressive to the best of his ability.
“I had a bottle Absolut vodka in my hands, but it didn’t occur at the time to me. I sensed a threat. He was going to grab me and wrestle me to the ground.
“I was trying push his arms off me and hit him with the bottle as he rotated around it.
“I felt his arms move off me at first, so I stepped back. I could see that he had hurt himself. I was hit by him almost immediately and fell on the coffee table.
‘I felt terrible. It wasn’t my intention to hit anyone, especially not a close friend.
The trial continues.