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Allegations
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A cadet corporal who
shot and killed another cadet at training school 23 years ago was never
court-martialled, despite recommendations by a formal military court of
inquiry. The army, however,
denies suggestions made by the inquiry that it was tantamount to a
"whitewash". The inquiry, completed
a week after Grant Bain died on February 13, 1981, was headed by Major G M
Beddie. Like all military inquiries, it was not public and its findings have
only recently been issued. It comes as a flood of abuse allegations continues
from people reporting experiences of brutality at the Regular Force Cadet
School in Waiouru. The court of inquiry
report said Read admitted committing a series of serious military and civil
offences, ranging from the theft of ammunition to the negligent use of a
firearm causing death. Read had already been
tried, convicted and sentenced in a civilian court on the most serious of
these offences -- careless use of a firearm causing death -- for which he was
fined $200 and given 200 hours' community service. But the court urged
further action. "It is the firm
view of the court that he should now be charged under military law with the
remaining offences." It recommended he
should be charged with theft of ammunition, modifying ammunition, assaulting
a soldier and firing a rifle at a soldier. "If he is not so
charged, cadets and servicemen at large, perhaps even the public, will gain
an impression of unprincipled and unreasonable leniency bordering on a
whitewash," the inquiry recommended. Army spokesman Murray
Brown said yesterday the commander at Waiouru at the time, Colonel Gordon,
decided not to order a court-martial on the grounds that Read had already
been prosecuted in the civilian court for the most serious offence. Read was was given an
administrative discharge from the army on the basis of his conviction. "There was never
any cover-up . . . it has been quite public right through," Major Brown
said, referring to the reporting of Read's conviction at the time and
reference to it in the history of the school published six years ago. He said the army had no
part to play in deciding to lay the relatively minor charge against Read of
causing death by careless misuse of a firearm. Judge D Lowe, who
presided over the case in Taihape District Court, expressed his concern that
the charge was a minor one and not manslaughter. Major Brown said it was
a police decision: "It had nothing to do with us." Meanwhile, former army
sergeant Ian Fraser -- who sparked the controversy last weekend with an
article published on the Scoop website -- said he had received more than 200
e-mails from people reporting experiences of brutality at the school. Mr Fraser said the
worst of these, including one former cadet claiming he was raped and sexually
abused at gunpoint, had been forwarded to Defence Minister Mark Burton. He said a commission of
inquiry was needed to look into what happened with a fresh set of eyes. His
fear was that a military inquiry could be "blinkered". Mr Burton's spokeswoman
said the minister's office had received about 70 calls and about 12 e-mails
from Mr Fraser. Mr Burton had indicated
a neutral party might be needed to investigate the issues, but at this stage
he was still trying to identify key issues. "With historical
issues this complex, we've got to take the time to get the investigation
right." Yesterday the army
urged all former cadets concerned about their treatment to write directly to
army chief Major General Jerry Mateparae. Submissions could also
be sent in by e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 4960 413. * If you have
information on this story, contact [email protected] or call (04) 474 0196. |
