By Jim Forsyth
SAN ANTONIO Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:18pm EDT
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - An Air Force drill down sergeant accused of serial lovemaking assault repeatedly delivered texts and also photographs to one victim, like a photo of the pup shirtless, wearing boxers sufficient reason for his navy hat on, ladies determined when sufferer No. 6 testified in the navy court martial on Monday.
Accused Staff Sergeant Luis Walker, wearing his orange Air Force dress up uniform, spoke only lightly seeing that earliest the courtroom martial of your widening navy intercourse scandal got underway at Lackland Air Force base inside San Antonio, Texas.
Most in the morning ended up being used along with law firms sparring with the regulations with evidence. Victim No. 6 testified when portion of one motion to ascertain in the event the photograph of any shirtless Walker may very well be entered within evidence.
"He delivered a great deal of photos," she testified, glancing at Walker. "I remember these people clearly."
The shots were being sent to your girlfriend soon after the girl completed fundamental training but ahead of your woman went to practical education during Lackland. According that will Air Force rules, trainers are usually forbidden from individual verbal exchanges by using recruits throughout as well as after formal training.
Walker will be facing a complete associated with 28 counts, which includes rape, sexual assault, along with attempted pill assault of the full associated with 10 woman recruits and faces existence around prison if convicted.
His scenario opened up a floodgate connected with allegations associated with misconduct between trainees plus Military Training Instructors at Lackland, that's your house of all Air Force enlisted standard training.
Five some other lecturers are actually charged having crimes, an additional half a dozen are usually below investigation, plus thirty-one females have arrive onward for you to point out we were holding patients of incorrect sexual contact by their exercise sergeant. Another thirty-five lecturers then one squadron commander have been peeled off their particular posts.
VARIETY OF CHARGES
There are usually concerning 500 academics at Lackland.
Walker is incurred with acquiring pill contact along with several with the twelve trainees, who?re only discovered by way of number. He is additionally priced by using "flirting" with girl trainees, delivering these people sexually categorical text message messages, generating unacceptable comments such as revealing one female that will "get naked," and forcing just one trainee in order to hint his genitals.
He allegedly threatened a number the actual women, showing these people this your dog might damage their military opportunities whenever they announced on his / her conduct.
Colonel Polly Kenny, your Staff Judge Advocate to the Second Air Force as well as the leader on the criminal prosecution team, stated no actual contact between trainers and recruits is usually at any time allowed.
"There is usually not enough available time when an trainer should hint a trainee," Kenny instructed reporters ahead of the commence of today's proceedings.
"That power imbalance needs to be set up to help carry out this training mission, so that you can move the actual son's and kids who arrive at us directly into airmen regarding character."
Kenny said all 10 of Walker's alleged subjects are generally supposed to testify, as well as the girl explained the prosecution's case should receive several to five days. Lead defense law firm Joseph Esparza hasn't mentioned exactly what Walker's defensive will certainly be, and also no matter whether Walker will testify.
Walker will be first Lackland exercise sergeant to be able to have demo throughout association having this case, that is growing into that worst army sex scandal considering that just one with Aberdeen, Maryland, U.S. Army base around 1996.
The scandal provides encouraged a strong exam of regardless of whether males and females have to frauds taught collectively in addition to generally there are already normally requires congressional hearings. Nearly a single within all 5 Air Force recruits may be a woman, the greatest with all the different army branches.
Walker is being tried by the seven new member panel of representatives along with enlisted personnel. Under military the courtroom rules, two-thirds of the section will be had to convict Walker, not like within a civilian jury trial, the place that the popular opinion needs to be unanimous.
(Editing by Philip Barbara )
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