Corporal Jackson Wood sentenced over ‘accidental’ testicle photo, masturbation video

A soldier who drunkenly sent a masturbation video and “some sexy snaps” to female colleagues has been handed a formal slap on the wrist at Defence Force Magistrate.

Corporal Jackson Wood has been reprimanded and his next promotion delayed after pleading guilty to sending a photo of his testicles and a masturbation video to two women when he was posted at Robertson Barracks in Darwin. (composite image)

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A soldier who drunkenly sent a masturbation video and “some sexy snaps” to two female subordinates has been handed a formal slap on the wrist by a Defence Force Magistrate.

Darwin-based soldier Corporal Jackson Wood, 25, was on Thursday sentenced to a forfeiture of seniority of rank — effectively delaying his next promotion — and was formally reprimanded, having pleaded guilty to three counts of using a carriage service to cause offence on Wednesday.

Defence Force Magistrate Commander Gregory Sirtes SC found Corporal Wood could have accidentally sent Snapchat messages with the photos and video to the two women, instead of to his girlfriend.

Court documents revealed Corporal Wood sent his girlfriend a grovelling message the morning after the incident, saying he had sent “some sexy snaps for you to open” when the ship she was on docked.

In the messages, he said he was “pissed” and “didn’t realise I had selected two other people”.

Commander Sirtes said he could not accept the prosecution argument that those messages were an attempt by Corporal Wood to “erect a credible excuse” and could not sentence the soldier as if he had deliberately sent the lewd messages.

Corporal Jackson Wood, then a Sapper, receiving a citation for his involvement in G20 security operations in 2017. He pleaded guilty at a Defence Force Magistrates Court hearing to sending two subordinate women photos of his testicles and a video of him masturbating. Picture: Supplied/ADF

One of the women, who has since left the full-time army, said in a victim impact statement there was “instilled sexism” in the army and that Corporal Wood “somehow believed he could get away with (his) behaviour”.

Prosecuting officer Commander Michael Paes said Corporal Wood’s offending came despite him having done the army’s social media awareness course.

Corporal Wood’s service record showed he had previously been in strife over using foul language in public while wearing uniform, including the phrases “ “sh*t c**t” and “f***ing c**t”.

Commander Paes said Corporal Wood’s “continual position” until his surprise guilty plea on the first day of his trial on Wednesday had been “that this has all been one big misunderstanding”.

Defending officer Lieutenant Colonel Tom Berkley said “in the case in hand” Corporal Wood admitted responsibility for what he had done, even though he had not pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

“The masturbation video is, of course, the most important, but we have never seen it,” he said.

The video automatically deleted from the messaging service and the woman who received it did not save a copy.

Commander Sirtes said “to the extent it was a mistake” for Corporal Wood to send the photos and video to the two women, “it was a mistake you very simply cannot make”.

“You are no longer a teenager,” Commander Sirtes said.

Women, he said, “are entitled to feel safe” in the army and are “entitled to put a degree of trust” in their superiors.

“If you continue your career in the army … you would have hopefully learned a lesson.”