Leaked: Report into Air Force sex attacks
A sexual assault victim is welcoming proposed changes to the way the Defence Force handles sexual assault complaint, saying it’s ‘‘about time’’ improvements were made.
Sunday News has been leaked the executive summary of Queen’s Counsel Frances Joychild’s inquiry into the Defence Force’s handling of sexual assault and harassment complaints.
The inquiry was undertaken by the Air Force after lobbying by victims of former sergeant Robert Roper, whose sexual offending against five young girls on the Whenuapai airbase was ignored.
‘‘What happened in the 1980s... at Whenuapai should never be repeated,’’ the leaked report said.
The report recommended a new model with a full investigation process for complaints of unwelcome or offensive sexual behaviour.
This would see a single entry point for all complaints of a sexual nature.
Then a small team of trained and accredited specialist investigators would go about collecting all evidence and interviewing witnesses, supported by the Defence Force legal team.
A young army recruit who broke her silence this year after a sexually motivated attack at Waiouru Military Base said this recommendation alone would have made a massive difference in her case.
The victim, who has name suppression, was hopeful the new recommendations would be implemented. ‘‘I hope they do, they need change,’’ she said. ‘‘I think it’s about time.’’
In January offending by Corporal Corey Kennett against this woman and others in the army, was revealed as well as the army’s failure to disclose his offending to police when he left the army.
It was difficult making complaints to senior officers when the offender was also of a higher rank, the woman said, as they tended to socialise together.
She hoped having an independent investigation team would mean each complaint, no matter how big or small, was taken seriously, as she felt some within the Defence Force didn’t really care when she made her complaint. ‘‘That was their way of treating people.’’
Other recommendations included convictions for sexual charges under the Armed Forces Discipline Act or Crimes Act being forwarded to police for recording as a military conviction.
This would see them disclosed where requests are made for criminal records.
The inquiry was prompted by victims of Robert Roper, who committed sexual offences against at least five girls, including his own daughter, in the 1970s and 80s while in the transport division at Hobsonville, West Auckland. He left the Air Force in 1989.
Roper’s offending only came to light in 2012 when his daughter approached police.
After a trial in 2014 Roper was found guilty of 20 charges and jailed for 13 years.
After the victims launched their own investigation in 2015 the air force also launched an independent inquiry into the incident.
In the executive summary, it acknowledged Operation Respect, launched in 2016, had been a major step forward in supporting and protecting victims of sexual misconduct. However, it said more should be done to make sure victims’ needs were being met.
‘‘More can and must be done to ensure all personnel and employees of NZDF are free from unwelcome and offensive sexual behaviour in the workplace.’’
The main area addressed was the complaint handling and determination processes. ‘‘Without those changes, complaint processes will continue to act as a barrier to reporting complaints and, as a result, have the potential to derail the aim of operation respect.’’
One of these barriers was the wide range of people handling the complaint without specialist training or experience.
At present the commanding officer of the accused person must be informed of the complaint, initiate an investigation and make a determination as to whether the allegation is well-founded or not.
Robert Roper’s victims have received a short briefing, and are due to review the report at the end of November. A New Zealand Defence Force spokesman said they made a commitment that the survivor group would have an opportunity to review and discuss the report and NZDF’s response to the recommendations before any public release. Any member of the NZ Defence Force who is experiencing harmful behaviours can contact their helpline on 0800 NZDF4U, 0800 693 348.