CAPTAIN SACKED FOR KISSING NAVY CADET
Woman tried to take her own life after the incident
SHIP RFA Tiderace
A NAVY captain was sacked for kissing a vulnerable cadet during a boozy session on board his ship.
Captain Miles Lewis, 51, whose career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary spanned more than 30 years, was given the boot for “bullying and harassment”.
His victim – in her early 20s – is speaking out about her ordeal to show that sexist behaviour is still rife in the Armed Forces.
The cadet, who wishes to remain anonymous, was a new recruit on RFA Tiderace when the incident happened last May.
The woman was so traumatised by it, she selfharmed in her cabin in a bid to take her own life.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, she said: “I want women who are thinking about a career in the RFA or the military to know how difficult it can be for them.
“Women are not always treated with respect. It is tough.”
The cadet and Captain Lewis – who was in command of the ship – had been drinking vodka with other crew members for about four hours on the evening of the incident. By half past midnight, everybody else had left the
NAMED & SHAMED Captain Lewis on his birthday last May ship’s bar. The cadet, who admits she had been “struggling a bit with ship life”, said: “He asked me how it was going and I was honest with him. I told him I was missing my family and got a bit upset.
“He offered to give me a hug, which I found a bit weird. But as I tried to pull away, he forced a kiss. I was so shocked, I ran from the room.”
The next day, the cadet told her First Officer what happened and when RFA Tiderace docked at Birkenhead, Merseyside, she left the ship straight away.
Captain Lewis was sacked for gross misconduct following a hearing in July. The cadet has since left the RFA – a civilian branch of the Royal Navy that supports military operations – because she feared she would face discrimination. But she says: “If you are struggling or if this has happened to you, then report it because you will be heard.”
When approached at his £675,000 home on a private estate by Portsmouth harbour, Mr Lewis refused to comment.
A Royal Navy spokesman confirmed Mr Lewis had been dismissed for gross misconduct and added: “We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and personnel are disciplined however appropriate.”
Women are not always treated with respect in the military. FEMALE CADET ON HER TREATMENT IN RFA
When I declared in my column last week that I was no longer a practising Muslim, I was expecting a backlash.
But what I was not expecting was extreme hate and death threats.
My news spread like wildfire. I had no idea my way of life or minor celebrity status was worth so much attention on an international scale.
When I read how it had even been reported in Pakistan on @bbcnewsurdu, I was taken aback.
I have since received vitriol on a daily basis. I could understand it if I were selling drugs, abusing, grooming, being blasphemous or Islamaphobic, bullying, stealing, being violent or aggressive, but I’ve done none of those things – so why?
Then I realised that me coming out as a non-practising Muslim is not the reason for all the hate thrust upon me.
This deep-seated hate is because I made my declaration as a woman.
Whether we like it or not, some cultures, like the South Asian one from where my parents originate, is based on the patriarchy. And many of those countries are populated by Muslims, so it’s easy to see why religion and culture are so entwined.
In Pakistan, a woman is expected to take care of the home as wife and mother, whereas the male dominates outside the home as a breadwinner. Inequality is an accepted norm for many Pakistanis, whether living there or here in the UK. When someone like me pipes up and says I don’t like this way of living or thinking, then the whole system is under threat.
According to the Global Gender Gap Index, Pakistan currently ranks as the second-lowest country in the world for gender equality.
Pakistani activists estimate that there are about 1,000 “honour killings” every year.
But not everybody supports this outdated and uncivilised way of living. Many women in Pakistan are demanding change on dealing with rape, acid attacks, domestic violence and forced marriage.
And, like me, when these women dare to take a public stand, they are subjected to humiliation, house arrest and personal attacks – as demonstrated by the comments under the BBC News Urdu story.
About my choice to be a nonpractising Muslim, one wrote: “She has a devilish face.” Another said “mental patient”, another referred to me as “deceitful”. Hundreds of comments – and 99% of them were made by men. This patriarchal culture is followed by many Pakistanis here in the UK too.
They will never admit it in public, but I have witnessed it and was brought up in it. It passes from generation to generation. I know this doesn’t apply to everyone – many British Pakistanis keep their faith and are not patriarchal.
But those who are have made my life difficult.
They do not want women like me to encourage other women to think like me – to feel that they have choices or can be happy living their life on their own terms.
They know once women come together, their system would collapse and be seen for what it truly is – medieval.
Challenging the patriarchy has led to death threats
Jodie Turner-Smith has become the first black actress to play Henry
VIII’s wife Anne Boleyn – in Channel 5’s psychological thriller of the same name.
In doing so, she has challenged conventions.
While we know that Anne Boleyn was white, why not, for a dramatisation, have her as a black woman?
The whole point of acting is to play a part, so regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation surely the role should go to the best person for the job?