An officer - but not a gentleman !

A disturbing report from the Australian Defence Academy in Canberra. An eighteen year old female cadet had consensual sex with a male cadet, but what she didn't know was that her lover had placed video cameras in the room and their lovemaking was being shown to a number of his mates in other rooms. Some compounded this intrusion by capturing still photographs on their mobile phones - which they shared with other students in the Academy. It was a gross breach of trust and when it was revealed the Academy bosses seemed indifferent. It broke no laws in the Australian Capital Territory and the perpetrator looked like escaping with a mere slap on the wrist. This courageous female cadet then invited in the media - and that brought a dramatic change of attitude. The event happened on Commonwealth land - and suddenly Commonwealth law swung into action and a prosecution for a criminal offence seems likely. Whatever the outcome, serious damage has been done to the prestigious Defence Academy. It has been trying to recruit more women into the defence forces and this incident of male chauvinism will not help. At the same time, it raises the question of how future officers can hope to trust each other with their lives in battle - if they can not be trusted with basic human dignity. The offender may be allowed to remain as a cadet - and eventually he may qualify as an officer. He will most certainly never achieve the words that usually follow that title - " and a gentleman ! "