Jason Veltman dismissed from ADF for voyeurism fetish act

A ‘selfish’ soldier with a self-described voyeurism fetish has been booted from the army over dishonourable conduct linked to ‘his own sexual desires’.

A ‘selfish’ soldier with a self-described voyeurism fetish has been dismissed from the Australian Defence Force after admitting to posting intimate images of a woman half his age on an online classifieds site.

The pair met through military service and began having consensual sex when Signalman Jason Veltman was 38.

Veltman told the victim he had a voyeurism fetish and encouraged her to sleep with other men and record their encounters so he could watch.

However, the woman did not feel comfortable doing this and put off the subject.

The woman sent Veltman two images of herself dressed in lingerie in her army dormitory believing he would not share the images.

Jason Veltman has been dismissed from the ADF after he admitted to sharing intimate images of a female soldier half his age. Picture: LinkedIn.

But Veltman used one of the photos to create a personal ad on Locanto – written as if by her and including personal details – to find men to sleep with her to satisfy his fetish.

Another ADF member found the ad and told the victim, who confronted Veltman.

He told the woman he made the ad because she “wasn’t going to do anything about it”.

The court heard she told Veltman she wanted the ad to be taken down.

Veltman, now 41, pleaded guilty to non-consensual distribution of intimate image when he fronted the Defence Force Magistrates court in Canberra on Wednesday.

He also pleaded not guilty to and was acquitted of assaulting another person on service land, relating to the same woman as the previous charge.

Jason Veltman shared intimate images of the woman on Locanto. Picture: Locanto

In a victim impact statement prosecutors read aloud, the woman said the embarrassment and shame Veltman’s actions had caused led her to leave the ADF.

“I was scared, not only for my safety but for my dream job” she said.

“Everyone knew what happened, and I had nobody.”

The woman said she had wanted to be in the army since she was a young girl.

Prosecutors told the court it was not the first time Veltman had been before the Defence Force Magistrates Court; stating he had been convicted of aggravated use of a carriage service to cause offence in August last year.

A soldier has been dismissed from the Australian Defence Force after admitting to sharing lewd images of a woman half his age. Picture: Alix Sweeney

The court heard in November 2020 in Darwin when he was a Lance Corporal, he sent a photograph of his erect penis to 24-year-old woman, who was a Private.

Veltman, who was a Corporal at the time of sentencing, received 28 days detention, which was suspended, and reduced to a Private.

During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Defence Force Magistrate Major General Simon Cowan noted Veltman avoided being dismissed at that time because he was a first-time offender who had pleaded guilty to the offence.

Veltman’s lawyer, Major David Healey of David Healy Solicitors, said frankly dismissal was an appropriate outcome.

“(Veltman) understands he is the author of his own undoing” Major Healey said.

He told the court his client had worked in the British Army in the parachute regiment, had been deployed to Afghanistan twice, had a diploma in mining, and was seeking to pursue a career in mining.

Major General Cowan said he considered imprisonment for Veltman, but decided it was not the most serious example of the crime.

He ultimately dismissed Veltman from the defence force.

“You didn’t care about her in the slightest,” he said.

“Your true character came out in this offence.

“You might demonstrate teamwork when it comes to the blokes — but when it comes to females you are not to be trusted.

“You’re a selfish man (who only) looks after his own sexual desires.”

Major General Cowan noted the substantial age gap between Veltman and the woman and said there was manipulation and pressure within the relationship, but added it was “not a court of morals”.

Regarding the victim, Major General Cowan said no one should engage in “victim blaming’ and said she was “entirely innocent”.

“She has been shamed,” he said.

“What a terrible outcome for an innocent, unsuspecting female.”

Originally published as Jason Veltman dismissed from ADF for voyeurism fetish act