Air Force training officer has revealed how he was tortured and sexually assaulted at a barracks common room.
Disturbing video of the attack shows Alister French on the floor at Latchford Barracks near Wodonga, Victoria, with his hands, feet, head, and mouth heavily duct-taped.
According to some reports, an older man hits Mr French and then chokes him. Next, he throws chili powder into his eyes and attempts to lighten his hair. Finally, he pours boiling water from a kettle over his head, pushing his exposed penis toward the trainee’s scalp.
A member of ADF serving as an attacker also calls the victim, telling them: ‘I need to get out, I’m torturing Frenchy.
Alister France, an Air Force trainee, can be seen sitting on the ground of the Latchford Barracks, near Wodonga in Victoria, with his head, hands and mouth tightly duct taped.
French stated that the last-year alleged attack, which was estimated to have lasted 45 minutes, began with a joke French had made, and quickly escalated.
He stated, “I was allowed to be tied and held down by them, but the situation escalated quickly, and I ended up being totally restrained.”
“I felt very sacred and afraid for my own life. That night is still difficult to me.
“Look at this footage. To this day, I have nightmares about the incident.
Lisa French was the mother of Mr French and said that the abuse had left her son ‘broken both mentally and physically.’ She was only two years into the six-year training program and was doctorally discharged from ADF.
She stated, “The child we have returned home with is different from the one that we sent”.
Lisa French, left, said that the son she received back home was not the one they sent. She spoke out about the alleged treatment Alister received while he was a RAAF trainee.
“When he presented me with the information, I was shocked. This is a form of bastardization and seems to have been accepted.
According to the ADF, Mr French’s claims had been investigated by 2020 and that video was an ‘innovative allegation’.
It stated that it strongly encouraged any evidence of this behavior to be immediately referred to the civil police for an investigation.
Victoria Police stated that it had responded to reports about an incident at the barracks, but could not establish that a crime was committed.
Mick Bainbridge from Operation Legal Australia was Mr French’s lawyer and said that the behavior of the trainee was one of the most disturbing he’d ever seen. A civil lawsuit would then be filed on his behalf.
“I don’t believe at this stage it’s an allegation. Bainbridge stated that he believed the torture was not under dispute.
Following the broadcast of the video on 7.30 Report, Defence Minister Peter Dutton declared that: “I will send this very clear signal to anyone within the Australian Defence Force that this behaviour is completely unacceptable.”
Peter Dutton (Defense Minister) appeared immediately following the incident on the 7.30 Report. He described the video’s content as “very disturbing”.
“I feel sorry for Alister, and his family,” he stated.
“I will make it clear to all members of the Australian Defence Force, that such behavior is totally unacceptable.”
French, who was 19 years old when he joined the RAAF, said he ‘thrived’ in this environment at first and won two merit awards.
French said about her son, “We couldn’t stop smiling,” “He made us so proud.”