Fred Whitson, Fletcher Mitchell: Sailor booted from navy for sharing nude pics

The Defence Force Magistrate’s court has heard a sailor used his reputation as an artist to take and secretly share nude images of a woman without her knowledge. Find out what happened.

An artsy sailor has been booted out of the Australian Defence Force and a second sailor has had his rank reduced after sharing nude photos of a female service member without her knowledge.

Adelaide man Fred Whitson, 58, was dismissed from the ADF after he was convicted of two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence and of prejudicial conduct at the Defence Magistrate’s Court in Canberra.

Meanwhile co-accused Fletcher Mitchell, 38, from Brisbane, remains in the navy and had his rank reduced from Leading Seaman to Able Seaman after he was convicted of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence.

Both men pleaded guilty to all offences.

Fred Whitson (left) and Fletcher Mitchell (right) leave the Defence Magistrates Court in Canberra. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

The court heard in April 2014, Whitson and Mitchell had a lewd Facebook messenger conversation about the complainant, where they discussed the woman sitting for Whitson’s artwork.

“She's getting all excited,” Whitson texted.

“Purr, that would taste so nice,” Mitchell replied.

Whitson later replied telling Mitchell if he went to “Forbidden lands” during an artist sitting with the woman, he would capture anything that happened to keep in his “spank bank”.

In March 2015, the woman sat for Whitson where he took three photos of her either nude or in a state of undress.

The woman believes the photos were purely for artist reference, and she told Whitson that she didn’t want people in the ADF to “see too much of her skin”.

Fred Whitson was dismissed from the ADF for sharing nude images of a servicewoman. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Whitson shared images of the woman with Mitchell in 2015.

In September 2020 Whitson shared images with another ADF member, who is before the court.

At this time, Whitson’s then fiancee saw a text from someone requesting to see the photos and confronted him about it.

She questioned him about the text, and he made admissions to her about what he had done.

Shortly after discovering this, the relationship between Whitson and his fiancee broke down, and she ultimately told the complainant what she knew.

The court heard a powerful victim impact statement prepared by the complainant, where she described feeling “betrayed’ and “objectified” by the actions of both men.

“I trusted these men,” the statement said.

“I’m a woman who is usually confident and proud of my body.

“I feel humiliated, anxious and judged.”

The woman said she once cherished the artwork Whitson had created from her sittings, but said she no longer felt that way.

Fletcher Mitchell has had his rank reduced to Able Seaman after being convicted of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

The court heard Whitson had applied to resign from the defence force shortly after being charged, and had his request accepted.

However leading to his court date he was put on suspension pending the sentence for his crimes.

In sentencing Defence Force Magistrate Brigadier Michael Cowan chastised both men over their lack of respect for the woman.

“Think about how you’d want people to behave around your daughters,” he said.

The magistrate said both men caused “embarrassment” to themselves and to the navy by their conduct.

Brig Cowan said Whitson’s behaviour was of “great concern” and said he had a “very strange” attraction to the complainant, who was over 20 years younger than him.

“You have a daughter of the same age,” the magistrate remarked.

Fred Whitson (right) and Fletcher Mitchell (left) shared nude images of a service woman without her knowledge. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Brig Cowan said, alongside breaching the values of the ADF, Whitson was “not capable of being trusted” in his work as an artist.

He said Whitson explicitly used his “reputation and influence” as an artist to trick the woman into sitting for him.

“You breached her trust on more than one occasion,” he said.

“When females are alone with you (they should know) you have a history of not being trustworthy.”

The magistrate told Mitchell what he did was “reprehensible” and said women in the ADF were “our daughters, mothers, grandmothers and nieces” and deserved to be respected.

A third ADF member will face the Defence Force Magistrates Court charged with prejudicial conduct related to this incident.