Australian soldier jailed : The active ADF member struck his former colleague with a Bunnings-sourced bamboo stick around 5000 times. Warning: Graphic Content.
A serving ADF member has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for repeatedly assaulting his former colleague and wife over a five-year period.
The Australian Army corporal, whose identity remains undisclosed to protect the victim, was convicted in the NSW District Court last week. A jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault, sexually touching without consent, and seven counts of non-consensual sexual intercourse.
The two initially met while serving at the Holsworthy Army Barracks, with his wife later leaving the ADF.
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Before his arrest in 2021, the corporal had served in the army for over 20 years, undertaking multiple international deployments.
Court documents obtained revealed that the victim felt “trapped” and unable to leave the relationship from an early stage.
According to police statements in the documents, he exerted financial and medical control over her, frequently claiming to have saved her life to manipulate and coerce her into complying with his sexual demands.
“If she refused, he would subject her to physical and sexual punishment, with the severity escalating over time,” the documents stated.
Shocking Details of the ADF Member’s Crimes
Court documents stated that the victim often complied with the accused’s demands out of fear, believing he would abandon her and their children if she refused.
Due to his military postings, the family relocated across Australia each year.
In her victim impact statement, she described being “completely shattered” by their 15-year relationship.
“I was manipulated into doing things I didn’t want to do. I had to change who I was just to keep him happy,” she told the court.
“The moment I said no or resisted, I faced even harsher abuse as punishment. In the end, I felt nothing—I may as well have been dead. My life was destroyed by him.”
The couple officially separated in April 2021.
Court Conviction and Sentencing in NSW District Court
“I am one of the fortunate ones who managed to escape the abuse and control—but so many others aren’t,” she wrote in her statement.
Court documents detailed the extent of the corporal’s violence, revealing that the victim suffered red indentations and bruises on her wrists, injuries to her genitalia, and trauma to her eyes due to repeated assaults.
In April 2020, the corporal purchased a bamboo stick from Bunnings and later used it to strike the victim approximately 5,000 times on the buttocks as “punishment.”
The documents also stated that in 2017, he engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim while she was unconscious during a medical episode.
In another disturbing incident, the victim was left crying and screaming in pain, but the corporal refused to stop. Afterward, he told her: “In the bedroom, it’s my rules.”
According to the court records, the soldier—who also served as an SES volunteer—first reported his arrest to an ADF chaplain on April 28, 2021.
“I got arrested and charged for assaulting [the victim]. I have no idea what’s going on,” he reportedly told the chaplain.
He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 14 and a half years, making him eligible for parole on January 1, 2039.
The Australian Defence Force was contacted for comment.
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