Wren warned about affair

THE WREN at the centre of a sex scandal which threatens the career of a senior officer was warned about the relationship by the Second Sea Lord, a court martial was told yesterday.

Lieutenant Commander Karen Pearce told hearing at Aldershot, Hampshire, that she went into the office of Admiral Sir Jock Slater who said: "You are an attractive female, be careful."

But she said that he was not aware of the full extent of her relationship with army Lieutenant Colonel Keith Pople and that they had not publicised it.

Lt-Cdr Pearce, 34, is a key prosecution witness against Lt-Col Pople who is accused of having an affair with her while he was her superior in the office of the then Second Sea Lord. He is also accused of sending threatening phone calls and letters to her, her friends and senior officers to try to wreck her career.

Lt-Col Pople was removed from the command of 4 Regiment Army Air Corp after the investigation was started.

The court martial was told that the couple exchanged cuddly gorillas as love tokens. They sent each other letters referring to the toys as a running joke during their three-year affair, which started while they both worked in Whitehall on a key Ministry of Defence team.

During cross-examination of Lt-Cdr Pearce, Rhyddian Willis, counsel for the defence, said that the couple continued to send friendly letters to each other despite the break-up of their affair in June, 1996. Soon afterwards, Lt-Cdr Pearce had started an affair with Lieutenant Nigel McTear who moved in with her at the start of October. But she continued to exchange letters with Lt-Col Pople which she did not show to her new lover. In one letter, Lt-Col Pople asked for the return or destruction of his letters. Lt-Cdr Pearce said she did not want to return them because they were sent to her during a special time of her life.

Lt Col Pople denies two charges of scandalous conduct unbecoming the character of an officer and conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline. If found guilty, he will be dismissed from the Army after a 20-year career.

The hearing continues.