Trial set to begin for US gen. over sex charges

US Brigadier General Jeffrey A. Sinclair, 51, who is facing sexual assault charges, is to appear in a military court Tuesday.

Sinclair’s charges include having an affair with a female captain under his command and exchanging inappropriate emails with several other female subordinates.

He had a three-year extramartial affair with a junior officer during two war tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sinclair has denied the charges but he will receive a life sentence in prison if convicted.

The accusations resulted in his removal from command in Afghanistan in 2012, and now his trial set to begin at Fort Bragg Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will demonstrate how the military handles such complaints.

Advocates of military justice reform believe that his case underlines even more problems within the US army’s approach to sexual assault prosecutions.

“This case is illustrating why the current system can be very counterproductive,” said Diane Mazur, a former Air Force officer and professor of military and constitutional law at the University of Florida.

Sinclair is believed to be the most senior member of the US military to face sexual assault charges.

The Pentagon is already trying to deal with a string of revelations about rape and sexual misconduct with the ranks. It estimates at least 26,000 members of the military have been sexually assaulted in 2012, compared to 19,000 in 2011. Unofficial reports suggest the figure is much higher as thousands were afraid to come forward.

On January 25, US President Barack Obama called on the American people to help put an end to the growing number of sexual assaults in the military.