An “extremely intimidating” female sailor who sexually assaulted male and female shipmates has been jailed.

AB Sian Dowsett, 25, groped four of her Navy colleagues – two men and two women – during a series of sex attacks on HMS Dauntless, a court heard.

Dowsett, who was a chef at the time, preyed on “newer” members of the ship’s company, leaving her victims feeling “embarrassed” and “frightened”.

She grabbed male sailors by their crotches, stroked their arms, and made comments such as “I like my coffee how I like my men, big and strong”.

The defendant also smacked female sailors’ bottoms and squeezed their breasts, saying: “Do you like that baby girl?”

Appearing at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, clutching a cuddly Lilo and Stitch toy, the 25-year-old was sentenced to 18 months at a service detention centre, having been convicted of six counts of sexual assault at court martial in March.

Sentencing her, Assistant Judge Advocate John Atwill said: “You upset, frightened and disconcerted [your victims] and you had no regard for the impact of your behaviour.

“You were a predator in that ship, and seemed to target newer members.

“You denied it all and continued to do so. You said the people who complained about you were liars. They weren’t.”

Describing Dowsett’s offences, Judge Atwill said she had “slapped a fellow chef on the buttocks”.

On another occasion she groped a topless female colleague’s breasts “pushing them and gripping her nipples”.

Dowsett struck again during a first-aid training session, when she sexually assaulted a male colleague, stroking his arm and making “inappropriate comments”, the judge said.

“Then you touched his chest and pinched his nipple, maintaining eye contact and making him uncomfortable,” Judge Atwill continued.

The judge said AB Dowsett again assaulted the colleague “in the hangar in front of colleagues, embarrassing him”.

The judge added: “You sexually assaulted a woman [in a cabin]. She had entered only a few days before and you said you would look after her.

“While she was on her bunk, you slapped her bottom and then slapped it repeatedly. You tried to turn it into a joke. It was not.”

Many of the victims were reluctant to report the defendant because they were embarrassed that a junior female sailor had perpetrated the assaults.

One said she feared Dowsett would “physically attack” her because her anger could become “uncontrollable”.

“She was an extremely intimidating character,” one female victim told the court on Thursday. “She would scream and shout at people.

“I had so many sleepless nights when she was aboard. She had unrestricted access to me and I honestly believed she would physically attack me.”

One of Dowsett’s male victims, who was assaulted in the ship’s medical bay and in a hangar, said he “stood there in disbelief” as she brazenly groped him in front of colleagues.

“I am ashamed and angry at her,” the male sailor added. “I want her to realise the magnitude of her actions and the impact it has had on the multiple victims.”

In mitigation, Michael Green said the defendant had recently been diagnosed with autism, which could cause “social exploitation, interpersonal misunderstanding, and difficulty navigating social and institutional environments”.

However, Judge Atwill said these were “acts that any person would know are unacceptable”.

He added: “Sexual offences undermine the essential trust at the heart of our service. It undermines team cohesion and effectiveness. There is no place for behaviour of this sort in His Majesty’s service.”