Defence Ministry Admits New Sex Case Involving ADFA Cadets
The country's defence academy, breeding ground of Australia's future military officers, was once gain wracked by a new sex scandal involving two cadets currently training in the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).
According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), a male cadet has been arrested over the weekend on allegations that he sexually assaulted a female cadet officer, in an incident that ADFA officials said happened on May 6.
The report did not identify the suspect and the complainant but it indicated that the 21-year-old male cadet was released on bail and is scheduled to appear before the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He faces possible charges of indecency as the victim alleges that the suspect broke into her room inside the academy and assaulted her.
Officially, the report stated that the male cadet "committed acts of indecency," on the female cadet officer.
In a statement, ADFA and Defence officials have acknowledged the incident but indicated that the ACT police and military probers have taken responsibility of the new sex controversy, which came as the defence institution was still smarting from slew of sex scandals involving its active cadets.
"The Australian Defence Force and the Australian Defence Force Academy take such allegations very seriously," the statement said as reported on Monday by AAP.
Defence and ADFA officials assured too that all supports required by the parties involved in the matter have been extended, stressing that "the safety and wellbeing of cadets at ADFA is our priority."
The new case came into light more than a year after ADFA officials handled the so-called 'Skype scandal', which involved two male cadets who were charged for filming a female colleague during a sex act and streaming it live for other cadets to watch.
However, the suspects, one of them was actually engaged in the video, declared their innocence upon their arrest on April 2011.
They now await the conclusion of the trial of the controversial case, which led to the temporary sacking of ADFA Commodore Bruce Kafer.
Commodore Kafer was eventually reinstated earlier this year but the incident, observers said, had sullied the reputation of the Academy, which according to an ensuing review was also guilty of ignoring cases of sexual harassments.
The Sex Discrimination inquiry conducted by Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick on ADFA, according to The Canberra Times, produced results that showed seven out of 10 female cadets who enrolled in the academy were at one time became the subject of harassments.
The Broderick Review, however, concluded that most of ADFA's female cadets view the Academy as a safe and rewarding institution though Ms Broderick submitted a 31-point proposal that she declared would help the ADFA community in raising its regard of women.