Naval officer and sex offender Callum Hicks sentenced to be demoted and sacked after trial
A naval officer who sexually choked a woman and stroked the thigh of another under a restaurant table “just simply didn’t care” about his victims, a magistrate has said.
Canberra Star
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An “intelligent” but remorseless naval officer who choked a woman at a work function after quizzing her about whether she liked rough sex is set to be booted from the defence force.
Midshipman Callum Hicks was on Thursday demoted from his former rank of Sub Lieutenant and sentenced to be dismissed from the defence force after being found guilty of two assaults and one count of indecency.
Midshipman Hicks will be suspended without pay until a mandatory review of his sacking.
Defence Force Magistrate Brigadier Michael Michael Cowan, QC, said Midshipman Hicks, the son of an Anglican minister and former nun, enjoyed the support of his family, including his now-fiance, who he described as sexually “vanilla” to his choking victim.
Brigadier Cowan said stroking a woman’s leg under a restaurant table was “a less serious example of an assault”.
“I don’t conclude the same can be said (about the choking), grabbing the throat of another female in overtly sexual circumstances, riding roughshod over her wishes,” he said.
“There’s not even any suggestion in this case that your judgment was impaired by alcohol to any extent.
“To my mind you have refused to accept responsibility for your own actions and have shown a lack of integrity.”
Brigadier Cowan said Midshipman Hicks’s victims were blameless.
“You just simply didn’t care,” Brigadier Cowan said.
“You didn’t care that you were doing that to her.
“I’m struggling to see any evidence of real remorse.
“Had you pleaded guilty that would have been a sign of very real remorse.”
One of Australia’s most senior naval officers, Captain Stephen Bowater, on Wednesday said Midshipman Hicks was an “asset” to the navy and should keep his job.
Brigadier Cowan said he “accepted readily” the Midshipman Hicks “apart from these offences, would have been an asset to the navy”.
He said allowing a convicted sex offender to stay in the navy could undermine discipline and would discourage women from joining.
“These women should have been able to rely on, and trust … a navy member not to offend against them,” he said.
“The least penalty I can impose is one which means you will no longer be continuing service in the ADF.”