Defence cadet 'raped and told to suck it up'

DEFENCE has been hit by a fresh allegation a female cadet was raped at the officer training school only to be told by her commander to "suck it up".

AS the row over the defence cadet sex scandal boiled over into another damaging brawl between the Australian Defence Force and its minister, Defence has been hit by a fresh allegation that a female cadet was raped at the officer training school only to be told by her commander to "suck it up".

 A woman identified only as Jennifer told ABC radio in Queensland yesterday her 19-year-old niece was hospitalised after being attacked at the Australian Defence Force Academy. She did not say when the alleged attack took place, but said her niece had left the ADF.

"Defence did absolutely nothing," Jennifer said. "In fact, she was told by her commanding officer to suck it up."

An ADF spokeswoman said last night the allegations would be investigated.

"Defence treats all allegations of sexual assault seriously and encourages all members to report any incidents of innappropriate or criminal behaviour for proper investigation by military or civil authorities," she said.

The Australian Defence Association attacked Defence Minister Steven Smith over his criticism of the military's handling of the latest ADFA scandal. The federal police are investigating allegations that an 18-year-old RAAF cadet was unknowingly filmed having consensual sex with another first-year cadet while other cadets watched via webcam. No charges have been laid.

This week the woman was called before an ADFA hearing where she pleaded guilty to unrelated charges of being absent without leave and drinking.

Mr Smith had said Defence was "insensitive or completely stupid" for having the cadet ordered before the tribunal yesterday.

The Australian understands Mr Smith's call for the guilty plea to be dropped on the grounds that the tribunal was "faulty in law" has gone unanswered.

ADA spokesman Neil James accused Mr Smith of overstepping his authority. Yesterday Mr Smith appeared anxious to smooth over the rift. He said claims that the woman was ordered to apologise to her fellow cadets for going public were untrue.

The female cadet has been given compassionate leave and ADFA insiders say that may signal the end of her military career. The future looks similarly bleak for the male cadet who took the video and streamed it to others.

"Is he the sort of person we want in the military? The answer is no -- we don't want him," said a senior ADFA official.

A former officer at the academy has made further allegations of predatory sexual behaviour and cover-ups there in 2006. "I had a cadet in my division who was actually stalking and harassing another first-year female," said the former officer, named Mark.

ADF chief Angus Houston, said the webcam incident was "absolutely abhorrent" but he rejected claims that Defence had treated the female cadet shabbily.