Royal Australian Navy sailor William Doherty dismissed from Defence Force over indecent assault

A navy sailor has been dismissed after ignoring a subordinate’s pleas to “f--k off”, then indecently assaulting her as she slept.

William Doherty drives away from the Defence Force Magistrates Court as a supporter attempts to shield him from view with a separate car. Picture: Blake Foden

A “high-performing” navy sailor is set to be kicked out of the Australian Defence Force after he indecently assaulted a sleeping subordinate in Hawaii.

“You disgraced yourself,” Defence Force magistrate Scott Geeves told petty officer William John Doherty on Thursday, when he ordered the 33-year-old’s dismissal from the military.

Group Captain Geeves imposed that sentence, and suspended Doherty from duty pending an automatic review, after the man pleaded guilty to committing an act of indecency without consent.

Prosecuting officer Sam Brady told the Defence Force Magistrates Court that Doherty and the victim were on HMAS Canberra when the ship deployed to Hawaii for the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise in 2022.

On July 1 that year, when the ship’s company was on shore leave, the pair drank in separate groups before going for a swim in the ocean together.

William Doherty attempts to hide his face while driving away from court after being sentenced. Picture: Blake Foden

Squadron Leader Brady said the victim had booked a hotel room in Waikiki and agreed to let Doherty, a superior in the field of naval aviation, sleep on the floor.

However, in the early hours of the following morning, she emerged from showering and changing in the bathroom to find Doherty asleep in her bed.

Waikiki, where the indecent assault occurred in Hawaii. Picture: iStock

The prosecutor said Doherty “attempted to cuddle or spoon the complainant on several occasions” while in the bed throughout the night, despite the “annoyed” victim telling him not to do this.

The court heard Doherty’s repeated attempts to initiate intimacy prompted the victim to slap his hand away and tell him to “f--k off”.

Squadron Leader Brady said the victim later woke to the feeling “something was not right”.

Doherty’s hand was down her pants, and the court heard she said: “F--k off and stop touching me.”

Waikiki, where William Doherty was on shore leave at the time of his offence. Picture: iStock

Following the incident, Doherty and the victim continued performing their duties in Hawaii.

Squadron Leader Brady told the court that when the indecent assault was subsequently raised in a discussion between the pair, the victim asked: “How many times did I say ‘no’, and you still did it?”

The prosecutor said Doherty had replied: “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

The woman gave a victim impact statement in closed court on Thursday.

When the court reopened, Squadron Leader Brady said the victim “spoke of the betrayal that she felt and continues to feel”.

He said she had “actively avoided promotion” and was now considering leaving the navy, having lost trust in the Defence Force.

Waikiki Beach, in the US state of Hawaii. Picture: Getty Images

Squadron Leader Brady called for Doherty to be jailed, noting that punishment would carry with it automatic dismissal from the Defence Force.

He described the 33-year-old’s offence as “an egregious breach of trust and abuse of power”.

Doherty’s defending officers urged Group Captain Geeves not to jail the 33-year-old father of two or dismiss him, and to instead punish him through a reduction in rank.

They called evidence from five character referees, who were either Australian Defence Force officers or senior sailors.

Each referee said they would deploy with Doherty in the future if the opportunity arose, with one praising his “technical mastery” and another describing the 33-year-old as “a good apple”.

One of Doherty’s defending officers, Dan Coombes, told the court his client was “a cleanskin” whose early guilty plea, contrition and otherwise good character entitled him to leniency.

Major Coombes argued that should include the opportunity to continue serving in the military.

But Group Captain Geeves said he would only afford leniency by taking jail time “off the table”.

The magistrate questioned how women in the military would feel if Doherty was not dismissed.

“How on Earth are they ever going to be able to trust him again … particularly at sea in close quarters?” Group Captain Geeves asked.

While Group Captain Geeves accepted Doherty was unlikely to reoffend, he found any punishment less serious than dismissal would not be appropriate.

“She told you to f--k off on more than one occasion,” Group Captain Geeves told Doherty. “You didn’t listen.”

Group Captain Geeves also noted sailors on the deployment to Hawaii had been warned to look out for each other, telling Doherty the victim had tried to do that by allowing him to sleep in her room.

“In return, you behaved like that,” the magistrate told Doherty. “That’s disgraceful.”

As Doherty left court covering his face with a hooded jacket, one of his supporters drove a car within centimetres of a reporter and honked the horn while attempting to shield the 33-year-old from view of a camera.