Army soldier gets jail time, dishonorable discharge, after barracks sexual assault

A military judge on Tuesday sentenced a U.S. Army soldier to four years in prison following his conviction last week for sexually assaulting a fellow soldier inside their barracks in Germany.

Army officials said the attack occurred on Dec. 13, 2023, soon after Private 1st Class Shreyan Karki, 20, and the victim arrived at their new duty station in Landstuhl, Germany. They were assigned to the Medical Readiness Battalion at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the Defense Department’s primary hospital in Europe.

The victim became ill while she was in Pfc. Karki’s barracks room. He moved her to a spare bed in the room where he assaulted her. Agents with Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army CID) launched an investigation after she reported the incident, Army officials said.

“During the trial, the victim testified about the incident and her testimony was supported by DNA evidence as well as eyewitness testimony and medical testimony from a sexual assault nurse examiner,” Army officials said in a statement.

In addition to his prison sentence, Pfc. Karki was given a dishonorable discharge and reduced in rank to army private. He will be required to register as a sex offender when he’s released from prison. He will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life, officials said.

“I would like to thank the victim for her courage in bringing forth this report of sexual assault,” Maj. Sara Nicholson, chief of the Army Office of Special Trial Council field office in Kaiserslautern, Germany, said in a statement. “The serious penalties faced by the accused are in line with how this violation will impact the victim for the rest of her life.”