The prosecutor, Lieutenant Ben Ruback, stated in the court martial that on two separate occasions in 2019, the man became enraged while intoxicated and allegedly strangled the woman. The first incident occurred after a party outside of Burnham Military Camp, where the woman was the designated sober driver. According to the woman’s testimony, she assisted the man to his barracks due to his level of intoxication. However, when she tried to prevent him from leaving to continue partying, he became violent and allegedly strangled her.
The following morning, the woman had visible marks on her neck, which prompted a conversation with the accused. Despite his apology, she chose not to disclose the incident to protect his reputation and their relationship.
The Defence lawyer, Andrew McCormick, acknowledged that his client had behaved poorly on two occasions but denied the allegations of strangulation. He claimed that the woman was the aggressor in the first incident and that in the second, he only pushed her against a post without attempting to strangle her.
During cross-examination, McCormick suggested that the woman’s complaints were motivated by her discharge from the Defence Force and a desire to seek retaliation. However, she refuted this claim.
The court martial at Burnham Military Camp is scheduled to span three days as both parties present their cases.
