Army knew of internet sex ring three years ago
Video will begin in 5 seconds.
Army chief lays into force
Scathing video warning posted online as Army chief David Morrison leaves little doubt about his views on another ‘demeaning’ military sex scandal.
The Australian Defence Force hierarchy knew an exploitative internet sex ring was operating within its ranks almost three years ago but did not involve police until the middle of last year, it emerged on Saturday.
Fairfax Media asked Defence when the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service (ADFIS) began its investigation of the matter . An Army spokeswoman confirmed it first became aware of the unfolding scandal in September 2010.
NSW Police has stated that Kings Cross Local Area Command established Strike Force Civet in July last year – after being alerted in June.
Denial: Defence Minister Stephen Smith claims the military were not made to go public. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The latest revelation exposes a period of 21 months during which ADFIS conducted an internal investigation before approaching NSW Police for help.
Advertisement
On Saturday the Department of Defence said ADFIS conducted an investigation between late 2010 to mid 2011, and involved police three months after the launch of the investigation.
The statement revealed the investigation was first referred to Victoria Police, and the Australian Federal Police were also initially involved .
Two years after a cadet was publicly exposed broadcasting himself having sex with a female counterpart on Skype, the Australian Defence Force has once again been rocked by sex abuse allegations, this time involving at least 17 male officers – including a lieutenant-colonel, the sixth highest rank in the army.
Calling themselves the Jedi Council, the sex ring ”picked up” women in locations such as airport lounges and bars, then filmed them performing sexually explicit acts.
The ADF went public with the revelations on Thursday when the Chief of Army, Lieutenant-General David Morrison, announced three personnel had been stood down and 14 others were being investigated in relation to ”demeaning, explicit and profane” emails . He also confirmed a brief relating to the three sacked personnel had been forwarded to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has since denied the military was forced to go public because it was about to be exposed by other agencies involved.
An ADF spokeswoman said investigators had simply needed a period of time to ”do what they needed to do” without triggering potential ”adverse effects”.
Do you know more ?
Army chief expresses disgust at latest sex scandal – Ninemsn
June 14, 2013: The Chief of the Australian Army has addressed his troops in a YouTube video in which he delivers a stern message about what is acceptable behaviour in the wake of the latest sex scandal.
Australia’s Chief of Army has warned members of the defence force who think it is okay to demean or exploit their colleagues “have no place in this army” in a scathing video message addressing the army’s latest sex scandal.
The video was posted to YouTube late last night after Chief of Army David Morrison gave a press conference in which he apologised to five female victims among a larger group who had been degraded in a series of emails circulated by over 100 men, Nine News reports. The accusations, which Lieutenant General Morrison said were worse than the Skype sex scandal, date back to 2010 when male service members allegedly filmed themselves having sex with fellow military personnel and civilians before sending the images to their colleagues using defence computers. Lieutenant General Morrison said women had proven themselves in defence and would continue to play a vital role in the future.
“If that does not suit you, then get out,” Morrison said tersely in the video.
June 14, 2013: New details have emerged about a defence force sex scandal, prompting a public message to troops from Australia’s army chief.
“You may find another employer where your attitude and behaviour is acceptable but I doubt it.” Morrison stressed the “culture and reputation” of defence was the responsibility of each individual service member. “If you become aware of any individual degrading another then show moral courage and take a stand against it.”
“It is up to us to make a difference.” “If you’re not up to it, find something else to do with your life . There is no place for you among this band of brothers and sisters.”
At the centre of the scandal is a group of army officers who visited nightclubs in Sydney’s Kings Cross to meet women for consensual sex, The Australian reports. It is alleged the officers filmed themselves having sex with the women, before sending boastful emails containing these images to dozens of their colleagues across the country. It is not known whether the women consented to being filmed during sex, the report said.
Source: Nine News
Author: Martin Zavan, Approving editor: Emma Chamberlain
Do you have any story leads, photos or videos?1
References
- ^ Do you have any story leads, photos or videos? (news.ninemsn.com.au)
Australian military embroiled in fresh sexual harassment scandal …
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, June 13, 2013 13:52 EDT
Like Raw Story on Facebook SYDNEY The Australian military was embroiled in a new sex scandal Thursday with 17 personnel, including officers, under investigation after hundreds of explicit and repugnant emails and images demeaning women were uncovered.
Army chief, Lieutenant-General David Morrison, said he was appalled at the revelations, which follow a government report last year detailing more than 1,000 claims of sexual or other abuse in the forces from the 1950s to the present day.
That report was sparked by the so-called Skype scandal in 2011, when footage of a young male recruit having sex with a female classmate was streamed online to cadets in another room without her knowledge.
I d say it s worse than the Skype matter, Morrison told a media conference, given the seniority of the staff involved.
I view the allegations that are being made in the gravest light.
He said they involve the alleged production and distribution of highly inappropriate material across both defence computer systems and the public Internet over the last three years . Illicit drug use may also be involved.
Three people have been suspended so far and may face police charges, he said .
Another five could be suspended and nine more were under investigation.
A further 90 Australian Defence Force personnel are implicated in the email chain, Morrison added.
The highest-ranking officer was a lieutenant-colonel, with the remainder either majors, captains, warrant officers, sergeants or corporals.
Morrison declined to go into details of exactly what the material contained, but said the matters both textural and imagery are demeaning, explicit and profane .
He said he had spoken to some of the women involved and apologised.
This goes to the heart of what I ve said about systematic problems with culture inside the army and it in turn shapes the army and it in turn shapes the approach that I m taking with regard to how we deal with this, the army chief added.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith called the claims despicable and said he expected more victims would come forward.
In my experience whenever there are public revelations or instances drawn to public attention of this ilk, then more people in the community will say publicly that they themselves have been the subject of abuse in the past, he said.
In the wake of the Skype scandal, the Australian government made a parliamentary apology to victims of abuse in the military and set up a compensation fund after hundreds of claims of rape and sexual assault.
As well as abuse, the government report last year depicted a culture in the military of covering up, failing to punish perpetrators and hostility towards victims who complained.
The government and the defence force say they are committed to change and have been working to implement new policies on social media, recruitment and the way in which complaints are dealt with.
Morrison admitted it was a setback.
After the significant effort we have made to encourage women to enlist and remain in the army, I am extremely concerned at what appears to have been uncovered, he said.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who led a recent review into the treatment of women in the defence force, said she was absolutely appalled .
In a defence force that recognises that both men and women need to be a part for a high performance workplace , it is totally unacceptable, she told ABC television, adding that the high rankings of those involved showed the pervasive nature of the issue.
That s what s so abhorrent about it and it also shows the complexity of the issues that have to be solved, she said.
Watch Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison s official message, uploaded to YouTube on June 12.
Army shamed by sex videos
‘This goes to the heart of systemic problems with culture inside the army’: Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The Australian Defence Force is reeling from another internet sex scandal in which at least 17 male army officers formed an email ring that circulated footage of members having sex tagged with demeaning commentary about the women.
Police sources told Fairfax Media that the ring of soldiers called themselves ”The Jedi Council” and that they swapped footage of sex acts without the knowledge of the women depicted . At least 17 soldiers – including senior officers – were involved in receiving and distributing the footage, and it is understood three members of the ring shot the footage, starting in 2010.
The material also includes stills, some of which have been doctored.
The Chief of the Army, Major-General David Morrison, on Thursday branded the emails ”demeaning, explicit and profane” as he announced that the three ringleaders had been stood down and were ”persons of interest” to NSW police.
Advertisement
The emails also implicated some of the soldiers in illicit drug use, General Morrison said . At least five women – and likely more – were victims of the email ring, he said .
They included female soldiers, public servants and others.
Fourteen army members were ”closely linked” in distributing the emails, he said . Five of them faced imminent suspension and the other nine could also be stood down.
Illustration: Ron Tandberg.
Up to 90 other Australian Defence Force members, mostly in the army, were on ”the periphery” of the affair.
”I’d say it’s worse than the Skype matter,” General Morrison said, referring to the notorious 2011 incident in which an Australian Defence Force Academy cadet broadcast himself to friends having sex with a female cadet, who was unaware of the broadcast.
”These are actions by men who have been in the defence force for in excess of 10 years . This goes to the heart of what I said about systemic problems with culture inside the army.”
General Morrison took personal responsibility for the affair and
repeatedly acknowledged the army had a persistent cultural problem.
”The leadership of the ADF no longer accepts the ‘bad apple’ argument when one of these incidents does occur,” he said.
”These behaviours are symptoms of a systemic problem and we will continue to address them in a comprehensive manner.”
General Morrison said he had spoken to four of the women and apologised .
They were ”angry” and ”concerned”.
The email ring included a lieutenant-colonel – the sixth-highest rank in the army – as well as majors, captains, warrant officers, sergeants and corporals . They were based around Australia and did not belong to any one area of the force, he said.
The three ringleaders are being investigated by NSW police for possible offences relating to producing and distributing the material on the internet . The wider ring of soldiers are being questioned by the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith agreed that the scandal reflected a systemic problem.
”It’s a failure of culture and that failure has been there not just for weeks or months or years, but for decades,” Mr Smith said.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who worked closely with Defence in the wake of the Skype affair, said she was appalled at what she called a setback .
But it was a sign of progress that General Morrison was ”not just trying to explain it away”.
The army, which has the lowest female representation of the three defence services, at about 12 per cent, needed mid-ranking and senior role models, Ms Broderick said.
with Lisa Davies
Australian military embroiled in new sex scandal | Capital News
The Australian military was embroiled in another sex scandal Thursday with 17 personnel, including officers/AFP
SYDNEY, June 2013 The Australian military was embroiled in another sex scandal Thursday with 17 personnel, including officers, under investigation after explicit and repugnant emails and images demeaning women were uncovered.
Army chief Lieutenant-General David Morrison said he was appalled at the revelations, which follow a government report last year detailing more than 1,000 claims of sexual or other abuse in the forces from the 1950s to the present day.
That report was sparked by the so-called Skype scandal in 2011, when footage of a young male recruit having sex with a female classmate was streamed online to cadets in another room without her knowledge.
I d say it s worse than the Skype matter, Morrison told a media conference.
I view the allegations that are being made in the gravest light.
He said they involve the alleged production and distribution of highly inappropriate material across both defence computer systems and the public Internet over the last three years .
Illicit drug use may also be involved.
Three people have been suspended so far and may face police charges, he said .
Another five could be suspended and nine more were under investigation.
A further 90 Australian Defence Force personnel are implicated in the email chain, Morrison added.
The highest-ranking officer was a lieutenant-colonel, with the remainder either majors, captains, warrant officers, sergeants or corporals.
Morrison declined to go into details of exactly what the material contained, but said the matters both textural and imagery are demeaning, explicit and profane .
He said he had spoken to some of the women involved and apologised.
This goes to the heart of what I ve said about systematic problems with culture inside the army and it in turn shapes the army and it in turn shapes the approach that I m taking with regard to how we deal with this, the army chief added.
In the wake of the Skype scandal, the Australian government made a parliamentary apology to victims of abuse in the military and set up a compensation fund after hundreds of claims of rape and sexual assault.
As well as abuse, the government report last year depicted a culture in the military of covering up, failing to punish perpetrators and hostility towards victims who complained.
The government and the defence force say they are committed to change.
Defence force outraged at sex scandal
Australia’s defence boss admits there are “systemic problems with culture inside the army” as another sex scandal engulfs the military. Three officers have been suspended and more than 100 others are being investigated over the creation and distribution of explicit and “profane” material featuring several women on defence computers and the internet. Another 14 army officers and non-commissioned officers also face suspension, while a further 90 mainly army personnel have been implicated in the exchanges.
The highest ranked was lieutenant colonel. As the complex internal investigation begins, Army chief Lieutenant-General David Morrison declared it was worse than the 2011 “Skype scandal” in which a cadet secretly streamed footage of him having sex with a female colleague to his mates. “These are actions by men who have been in the Defence Force for in excess of 10 years,” the general told reporters on Thursday.
“This goes to the heart of .. . systemic problems with culture inside the army.” It’s understood the material, which was uncovered on April 10, includes images of defence women in sporting attire accompanied by offensive commentary.
Other imagery was digitally altered to be offensive. Images of naked women and videos of sex acts were also discovered, although it’s yet to be verified if they feature defence personnel. General Morrison said more than five women so far identified were members of the defence force, public servants and civilians.
The scandal emerged despite two years of concerted efforts by defence to reform its traditionally male-oriented culture. It had seemed to be working, with female recruitment up across all three services. However, General Morrison acknowledged there was a long way to go.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, who conducted an inquiry into defence culture following the Skype furore, agreed. She said some quarters of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) still believed it was no place for women. “There is a lot of activity within the ADF .. .
but this is definitely a huge setback, let’s make no mistake,” she told Sky News. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the government fully supported defence’s zero tolerance of inappropriate and “despicable” conduct by those responsible. “In the end they do reputational damage to their mates, to the army, to the defence force and indeed to the nation,” he told reporters in Perth.
“I am sure that today there will be thousands of men and women in the Australian army and ADF who will be shocked and horrified.” While Prime Minister Julia Gillard acknowledged a lot of work had gone into changing army culture to make it more female inclusive, she condemned the behaviour. “I’m very disappointed, I’m very concerned and clearly the material here is repugnant,” she said.
Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said serving and former defence personnel were incredulous and shocked at the rank of those involved.
“The extent of the incredulity, in my opinion, shows that the cultural change is working quite well,” he said.
Opposition defence spokesman David Johnston will seek an urgent briefing with the Chief of Army on the progress of the investigations.
“Lieutenant General Morrison is entirely correct when he says that he wants the mums and dads of Australia to be comfortable with their daughters joining the organisation,” he said in a statement.
Chester virgin helps Ann Summers develop sex toys – Chester …
Rebecca Riley on Channel 4 documentary Image 2
A SELF-CONFESSED virgin from Chester has been helping the Ann Summers store develop a new range of sex toys.
Rebecca Rielly, 22, is part of what has been coined the O team , chosen by Ann Summers CEO Jacqueline Gold, and will appear on a Channel 4 documentary tonight (Thursday, June 13) at 10pm.
The former Queen s Park High School and West Cheshire College student applied to join the team in what she described as a moment of madness and admits that she had to really push herself out of her comfort zone in order to become one of the final eight panellists.
She said that initially being the only virgin on the panel was a disadvantage and she had no idea about the sex toys they were researching but that she has learnt a massive amount .
She said: When I first got involved in The O Team project I was very shy, and wasn t very confident in my own abilities. I wasn t sure what to expect and as the only member of the panel not to have lost my virginity I was afraid that I would be treated as an outsider.
However, over the course of the last year my whole perspective of the sex toy industry has completely changed. I ve learnt so much about how much hard work goes into designing each product and just how technical the process is.
A lot of sex toys are made by men and I think it is really important to look at what women want.
Jacqueline Gold was so inspirational.
Ms Gold said: As the only member not to have lost her virginity, Rebecca s ideas and inspiration for new products focused not so much around her physical understanding but her technical knowledge of how products are made.
Rebecca is a real inspiration and I am so proud of her for having the confidence to open up not only with the Ann Summers team and the rest of the panel but also the nation.
I hope other young women look to Rebecca and feel inspired by her decisions.
Rebecca, who works for Tesco in Chester, is keen to develop a career in the sex toy industry.
She said: I would like to work to encourage women to embrace their bodies and help women believe in themselves and build their confidence.
The Sex Toy Story will be on Channel 4 tonight (Thursday) at 10pm.
References
- ^ Find all articles published on Jun 13 2013 to the Local & Chester News section (www.chesterchronicle.co.uk)
- ^ Jo Henwood (www.chesterchronicle.co.uk)
North Coast congressmen call for changes in wake of military sex …
Military commanders should be removed from the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults in the armed forces, Reps . Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman said. The system they have now has been ineffective, said Thompson, D-Napa, a Vietnam war combat veteran with the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Thompson, whose district includes Santa Rosa, said he has talked to many female veterans who have been victims of these terrible crimes. One is too many, he said. Thompson and Huffman are among the 145 co-sponsors all but one Democrats of a bill by Rep .
Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, that would remove the military chain of command from handling sex crimes. President Barack Obama has called the prevalence of military sex assaults shameful and disgraceful, and Gen . Ray Odierno, the Army’s top commander, described it as a cancer within the force last week in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
But military leaders rebuffed New York Democratic Sen . Kirsten Gillibrand’s proposal to turn sex crimes over to independent military prosectors, similar to a provision in Speier’s bill, which is called the STOP Act. The Pentagon said last month that there were 26,000 incidents of sexual assault in 2012 but only 3,374 were reported, leading critics and military officials to the conclusion that many victims feared retaliation for reporting the crimes.
The military itself admits the problem, said Huffman, D-San Rafael, who represents the North Coast in Congress. Speier’s bill would insulate sex crimes prosecution from the pressures, biases and dysfunction of the military chain of command, he said. They’re just not up to it, Huffman said .
It’s really time to get them out of the way. On Friday, the Army said that a two-star general who commands forces in Japan had been suspended from his duties for allegedly failing to report or properly investigate an allegation of sexual assault. Steve Countouriotis of Petaluma, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served served two tours in Afghanistan and two in Iraq, said he agreed with the generals who testified last week.
Without reservation, I think it needs to be the commanding officer (who is responsible for criminal prosecution), said Countouriotis, whose daughter and two sons served in the military. Maintaining good order and discipline is, in all respects, a commander’s responsibility, he said. Countouriotis acknowledged the volatility of the sex assault issue, and said the military must maintain zero tolerance for it.
Absolutely, he said . There’s no place for it in the military. Women make up about 15 percent, or 202,400, of the military’s 1.4 million active personnel, the Pentagon said in January .
More than 280,000 women have deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade, it said. During his tour in Vietnam, Thompson said the only servicewomen he saw were assigned to the hospital and he wasn’t aware of any incidents of sexual assault at the time. But women are now allowed to serve in combat, and Thompson said the sex assault scandal is a very sad chapter in the history of the military.
Speier’s office said the STOP Act is expected to reach the House floor this week.
(You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or [email protected])