Misogyny rife in RAF says airwoman after sex attacker let off

The RAF is simply a "boys club" wherever intersexual harassment, misogyny and homophobia are rife, says a pistillate ex-corporal who was sexually assaulted portion serving.

Sam, not her existent name, says she suffered "vile misogyny, homophobia and intersexual abuse" portion successful the force.

She near aft being sexually assaulted by a antheral workfellow who was past acquitted by a subject tribunal and allowed to proceed serving.

The RAF said "historic cases similar this" had led to a "zero-tolerance policy".

Last twelvemonth an employment tribunal ruled Sam had suffered intersexual harassment.

It besides recovered determination was "no factual quality that the intersexual battle took place".

Sam joined the RAF aged 19 arsenic an craft technician, wherever she was 1 of precise fewer women successful the team.

In her archetypal interview, she told the BBC she had enjoyed her job, and enactment appraisal reports had praised her arsenic outstanding.

But she says she had to unrecorded with appalling sexism. Women were regularly referred to utilizing violative connection and were the taxable of sexist jokes. She recalls 2 incidents successful which men exposed themselves successful beforehand of her.

She was besides successful a number arsenic a lesbian woman. She says that didn't halt antheral colleagues "preying connected her" and saying they could "turn" her - transportation her to go heterosexual.

Sam says she tried to endure the alleged banter but adds, "I understood wherefore a batch of women didn't enactment successful the forces, due to the fact that it's a pugnacious assemblage to beryllium in."

It proved adjacent tougher erstwhile she became the unfortunate of a intersexual assault, portion she was asleep.

Sam says she was "hung retired to dry" erstwhile she reported the battle successful the summertime of 2018, aft being deployed to the Greek land of Crete.

She'd been connected a nighttime retired off-base with colleagues erstwhile she was sexually assaulted by a antheral corporal successful a hotel.

She says she felt "massive unit to brushwood it nether the carpet".

When she reported the incidental backmost astatine basal the pursuing day, she says immoderate of her superiors had appeared much acrophobic by the information Sam and her colleagues had breached a curfew, than for her welfare.

"I had conscionable recovered the courageousness to archer idiosyncratic and I was getting into trouble. There was nary sympathy, empathy oregon proposal connected what would hap next."

Hours passed earlier she was interviewed by 2 members of the RAF Police - who were some male.

They lacked the instrumentality to behaviour due forensic tests and had to inquire a adjacent US subject basal for assistance.

In 2019, the battle went to a subject court, but the antheral fishy was acquitted - contempt the tribunal acknowledging failings with the investigation. He was allowed to proceed serving. Sam says the verdict near her "absolutely furious".

"He conscionable got distant with it. It blows my mind."

She past lodged a work ailment - a workplace grievance process for the equipped forces - which took 3 years to complete.

The RAF yet concluded Sam had been subjected to behaviour that was "predatory successful quality (including) unwanted behaviour of a intersexual quality which violated (her) dignity and created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating oregon violative situation - which amounted to a grade of intersexual harassment that was highly serious".

Sam says she suffered anxiousness and superior slump erstwhile she returned to the UK.

Several requests by her to beryllium stationed nearer her spouse and household were turned down.

In 2021 she was medically discharged and near the service.

In December past twelvemonth she won her lawsuit for intersexual harassment astatine an employment tribunal, though a abstracted assertion of intersexual favoritism was not upheld.

The RAF has appealed against the decision. It argues the battle happened off-base and the work unit progressive had breached a curfew.

In a statement, an RAF spokesperson said "historic cases similar this person led to the instauration of a zero-tolerance argumentation to nonstop a wide connection that unacceptable intersexual behaviour volition not beryllium tolerated".

The RAF added that determination were present a scope of measures, including the instauration of a Defence Serious Crimes Unit, to analyse specified allegations.

But lawyer Emma Norton, who represented Sam, said her lawsuit was "sadly emblematic of women" successful the equipped forces contacting her for help.

"They each study a sexualised culture, disrespect for women, victim-blaming, and a strategy wholly incapable of supporting victims," said Ms Norton, who runs the Centre for Military Justice, which offers autarkic ineligible proposal to subject personnel.

If you person experienced intersexual maltreatment oregon harassment, accusation and enactment is disposable from BBC Action Line

Sam says she saw nary grounds of a alteration successful civilization during her 10-year vocation successful the RAF. She points to caller cases of intersexual harassment successful the RAF Red Arrows show team.

"I consciousness atrocious for immoderate young miss joining, with men trying it connected and sexually harassing them," she says. "It happened each the time."