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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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The Government has
apologised for bullying and sexual abuse suffered by army cadets at a
training school in Waiouru and suggested they file criminal complaints with
the police. An independent inquiry
published yesterday found evidence of abuse of cadets over several decades,
but no evidence of a culture of violence, a conclusion that has upset some
victims. In releasing the
report, which also looked into the shooting death of Cadet Grant Bain more
than two decades ago, Defence Minister Phil Goff steered clear of the issue
of compensation. The report covered the
period 1948 to 1991 when the central North Island cadet school was closed. During a press
conference, Goff apologised directly to the Bain family, saying it was long
overdue, and a spokesman later said that was extended to all the cadets. "He apologised on
behalf of the Government to cadets who had been abused," the spokesman
said. The long-delayed report
by former High Court Judge David Morris said barracks room discipline had
been seriously flawed, and teenagers who were trained to kill during the day
were put in charge of fellow cadets at night. "Four cadets claim
to have been made to either masturbate in front of others or to simulate
intercourse," Morris said in the report. He said three had
claimed to have been sodomised with broom handles, while 10 said they were
sexually assaulted, mainly by fondling of their genitals. However, Morris said
the bullying was done by cadets, not Regular Force personnel. "The very worst
that can be said confidently of the Regular Force personnel is at times,
while drilling and training cadets, instructors used language which would
have had no place in a gospel meeting." The independent inquiry
was ordered after a former cadet, Ian Fraser, claimed in October last year
there had been widespread physical, psychological and sexual abuse of cadets
as young as 15. About 350 other cadets
have since come forward with abuse complaints. The 146-page report
looked into events surrounding the shooting death in 1981 of Cadet Grant
Bain. Morris found that Cadet
Andrew Read, the man who shot Bain, should have been charged with
manslaughter. Read died in a forestry accident several years ago. Morris said mistakes
had been made by authorities at the time, but that there was no collusion
between the army and the police over the matter. The report said the
army had failed to adequately supervise the use and handling of ammunition. Goff said he had
written to Bain's family to express his sorrow, and explain the findings and
the options should they want to take the matter further. In his report, Morris
said the complaints procedure relating to abuse had been adequate. "Any individual
who has suffered serious sexual or physical assault should consider lodging a
criminal complaint with the police. Alternatively, complaints could be lodged
directly with the New Zealand Defence Force," Goff said. The report, from which
names had been deleted before publication, was greeted with surprise by
former cadet Carl Gardner, 41, and several others. "That's not
right," the Christchurch engineer said of the findings that there was no
culture of violence, and reporting mechanisms were adequate. "It was pretty
normal, and I guess that was their way of turning boys into men,"
Gardner said. "Second-year
cadets were given rank. In the night time they would take over, and all the
responsibility would be theirs. Basically they were given rule of the
roost," he said. "Absolutely, it
was a culture. It was passed on from generation to generation." Gardner said he had
been sexually abused by a Regular Force officer and that he would now
consider taking his allegations to the police. "This guy pretty
much destroyed my life. The only way out of it was just to leave," he
said. |
