US Army general's sex-crimes trial hears evidence of adultery
Senior officer in 82nd Airborne Division used his rank to coerce women to commit adultery and other offences, say US Army prosecutors
US Army prosecutors have offered the first details of a rare criminal case against a general, alleging in a hearing that he committed sex-related crimes involving four female officers and a civilian.
The military hearing on evidence in the case against Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair began Monday at Fort Bragg in the state of North Carolina, home to the 82nd Airborne Division.
He is essentially accused of pressuring or forcing a string of female subordinates into sex.
Officials said the Article 32 hearing, similar to a grand jury proceeding in civilian court, was expected to last at least two days.
The first witness called was Major General James Huggins, the former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and Sinclair's direct superior during his most recent combat tour to Afghanistan.
Huggins recounted that on March 19, a woman captain came to his office late at night in tears. She reported that she had been involved in a three-year-long sexual affair with Sinclair, then her direct commander and a married man.