I was raped in the army, says retired major

The top brass of the Jamaican army “protected” a senior officer after he was accused in 2006 of sexually assaulting a female colleague, multiple sources have charged.

The claim comes as a senior officer is now at the centre of sex assault allegations that rocked the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) last week after more than a dozen female soldiers accused him of rape, sexual touching and unwanted sexual advances, Sunday Gleaner sources disclosed.

But while confirming that the alleged 2006 incident was reported to him, former army chief Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin said his investigation found that the claim “did not reach the level of credibility that a rape had taken place”.

“I personally investigated, enquired into the report, and based on my enquiries and questioning of the persons involved, the allegations fell short of being credible,” Lewin told The Sunday Gleaner on Friday.

Lewin said he communicated his findings to the complainant, who held the rank of major, after learning that she had retained an attorney.

“I said, ‘I will not take this any further because it has fallen short of being credible’. So, I told the complainant that if she wishes, she could pursue it through whatever lawyer she has engaged and I reminded her that she could seek redress to the Defence Board,” he said.

“And there I let the matter rest until now.”

The former chief of defence staff also defended his decision to personally investigate the accusation.

“Or I could have formed a team and let the thing spread beyond everything before we got anywhere. Had I found any merit, I then would have taken it further if anything more needed to be enquired into,” he explained.

HARUM-SCARUM

During a Sunday Gleaner interview on Wednesday, the now-retired major who made the 2006 rape allegation complained that higher-ups did nothing about her report even after she provided a witness statement.

Instead, she claimed that her alleged attacker, who was a captain at the time, was placed on one-year probation and has since been promoted twice.

The 16-year army veteran blasted the mechanism engaged by the JDF to probe her allegation, describing it as harum-scarum “because the crime that was committed required it to be a more formalised structured process”.

“I wasn’t some lowly private soldier. I already had 16 years of service under my belt. They protected him. Now, more women ended up suffering because they did not do what they were supposed to do,” she charged.

“I wonder, years later and with all of this coming out, if they look back and realise that had they gotten rid of this [description redacted], these women would not have had to suffer,” she said, referring to the over a dozen female soldiers behind the latest allegations.

The alleged 2006 incident will form part of the investigation being conducted by the JDF as it probes the latest allegations, her attorney Ayisha Robb Cunningham disclosed.

“This is not the first time this incident and the allegations have been brought to the attention of the Defence Force. As to where it goes the second time around is a matter entirely within the investigative powers of the JDF,” the attorney said.

The JDF sidestepped questions submitted by The Sunday Gleaner relating to the alleged 2006 incident.

Instead, the army’s Civil Military Cooperation and Media Affairs Office disclosed that the latest allegation of “sexual harassment” against a senior officer was uncovered during a routine security vetting.

“The investigations are ongoing and like any responsible entity, the JDF must abide by the principles of natural justice in which both accuser and accused are entitled to due process of law,” the army said in an email response on Friday.

Following last week’s accusations, the JDF said it recalled the senior officer at the centre of the sexual assault scandal, who was on an overseas training assignment, “to enable further investigation and the appropriate disciplinary proceedings”.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Jamaica confirmed that an individual attending military training in the United Kingdom “is returning to Jamaica at the request of the JDF”.

“It would not be appropriate for us to comment further. This is a matter for the JDF,” said the spokesman.

PICTURE OF WIDE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

The former army major and multiple past and current military insiders painted a picture of wide sexual misconduct within the ranks of the JDF.

Two male soldiers were arrested in March last year and charged with rape, grievous sexual assault and robbery with aggravation arising from an incident involving a trainee female soldier at the army’s St Andrew headquarters.

That incident allegedly happened on March 10 last year and was “immediately” reported to the police division that investigates sex crimes, the JDF acknowledged at the time.

In 2019, a high-ranking officer was allowed to quietly resign from the JDF after he was accused of sexually assaulting a female officer while they were deployed overseas. The incident was reported to JDF higher-ups by Canadian soldiers who were part of the deployment.

“They use their ranks to get sexual favours from people that are junior to them. That happens and continues to happen,” the now-retired army major charged.

The JDF media office said it would not be in a position to respond to questions about the alleged 2019 incident “based on the nature of the allegations against a former member”.

“However, we would urge that a request in the form of an Access To Information be submitted and if it can be addressed at that stage we will not hesitate to do so,” said the military.

Lewin said that during his five-year tenure as head of the military, the 2006 incident was the sole allegation of sexual misconduct he had to deal with.

“I am not aware of that,” he said when asked if incidents of sexual misconduct were prevalent in the JDF.

The retired army major said post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by her alleged ordeal became so overwhelming that she opted to walk away from the only job she ever wanted to do two years before she was eligible for a pension.

“I was expected to continue to serve and be in the same environment [as] this individual. JDF is not that big. We only have one officers’ club,” she said.

“This individual would actually approach me and try to have a conversation.”

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com