Saturday, November 2, 2024

ADF and Victoria Police investigating after trainee alleges she was raped by fellow member

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For Jane*, it was meant to be a celebratory night out.

Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find distressing.

But instead, Jane said the evening out with her fellow Australian Defence Force (ADF) trainees led to her being sexually assaulted twice by someone she trusted.

On the first night, she said went out with several colleagues, and was assigned a “battle buddy” — a partner to ensure people were not by themselves on nights out.

She said she considered him a friend, and that she was on good terms with all her colleagues.

“I trusted him because he was kind,” she said.

“We had common interests.”

During the outing, Jane said she began to get “really sick”, and her battle buddy took her back to the hotel where the group was staying.

Jane said she had been told a room had been booked for her with four single beds, but upon arrival she realised there were two queen beds in the room.

She said the sleeping arrangements involved her sharing a bed with her battle buddy, but she trusted him because he was in a relationship.

Jane said it was while she was vomiting and fading in and out of consciousness that she was assaulted, but she cannot recall if she was raped.

“I do know that he was assaulting me and touching me in other ways that night,” she said.

Jane* says what was meant to be a social night out led to her being sexually assaulted twice.(ABC News)

The next evening, the group went out for dinner and a drink, before going back to the hotel.

Jane said she went to the dinner because her memories of the previous evening were hazy.

“I was not sure it was real … I did not remember absolutely everything until much later,” she said.

She said she went out for drinks again on that second night because she wanted the company of friends.

“I was a bit worried, being left alone for that weekend,” she said.

“I sort of wanted to keep the peace and not kick up a stink until I was back at base.”

People standing at a bar looking at the bottles of alcohol.

Jane* says her battle buddy got drunk so she headed back to the hotel with him and a couple of others.(Supplied: Upsplash, Aleksandr Popov)

Jane said her battle buddy got drunk, so some of the group walked back at the hotel, where she said she began to feel sick and hazy again.

She alleges she was attacked by her battle buddy in bed that night, and said she remembered parts of the incident clearly.

“I told him no, I told him to get off, to leave me alone … and at the same time I was vomiting into the little dust bin that the hotel has,” she said.

“When the initial penetration happened, I freaked out and was able to knock him off and go to the bathroom.”

She alleges her attacker cornered her in the bathroom, stroked her back and apologised.

A person opens a door to reveal the interior of a hotel room.

The alleged assaults happened in a hotel room Jane shared with a colleague. (Pixabay)

Incident reported to chain of command, Victoria Police

When Jane visited medical workers at the ADF medical centre, she told a doctor about what allegedly happened to her.

The alleged incident was also reported to Jane’s chain of command.

She said she was concerned about reporting the incident.

“I told the doctor I was actually afraid of my career being affected by it,” she said.

Eventually, she told a nurse that she wanted to escalate the matter, and military police referred her to Victoria Police to make a complaint.

A complaint was made two days after the alleged rape.

Victoria Police has confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged assaults.

The ABC understands the ADF is fully cooperating with Victoria Police on the matter.

A photo of two police officers standing next to each other in high-vis. Their heads are not in the photo.

Victoria Police has confirmed there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged assaults.(ABC News: Danielle Bonica)

‘They just saw me as a problem’

In August 2023, Jane complained to the Directorate of Military Redress and Review, which allows Defence members to complain about an act relating to their service in the ADF.

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