Former Royal Navy officer jailed for ‘planned and predatory’ sexual assault on junior colleague
The incident was described by Judge Advocate Edward Legard as an “inexcusable betrayal” of Armed Forces values
A former nuclear submarine commander in the Royal Navy has been jailed for almost three years after being found guilty of a "planned and predatory" sexual assault on their junior colleague.
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Lt-Cdr John Cursiter plied his colleague with alcohol and cocaine over the course of an evening, before physically steering him into his own office in the officer's mess and committing the assault.
The 46-year-old was an executive officer at the UK’s nuclear submarine base in Faslane, Clyde, and a former commander of nuclear-enabled HMS Vanguard.
The incident, which took place at naval base HMS Drake in Devon, was described by Judge Advocate Edward Legard as an “inexcusable betrayal” of Armed Forces values.
He added that the behaviour “tarnishes the reputation” of the officer corps, before Cursiter was marched out of Catterick Military Court to begin a 33-month jail term.
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“It is patently clear that this was a planned and predatory assault by a senior officer on a junior rating behind the closed door of his own cabin,” said the judge.
He added that the victim was "in an acutely vulnerable state" of "extreme intoxication" at the time, and "simply did not know where he was".
“He wanted to go back to his own quarters, to a place of safety, but you steered him away to your cabin and when you did so you had one thing, and one thing alone, in mind.
“You made sure your victim was incapacitated through a combination of alcohol and drugs, and you abused your rank and position.”
Cursiter, of Balloch, Dunbartonshire, resigned from the Navy following his arrest, but was still “dismissed in disgrace” as he was sent to prison.
In a statement, his victim told a court martial how the incident caused him to leave the Navy, and had “destroyed” his life.
He described his horror waking up in the executive officer’s bed in 2022, and said Cursiter initially refused to allow him to leave his quarters, before eventually relenting.
The younger man called the assault "an ambush", and said it left him contemplating suicide.
Cursiter denied sexually assaulting the young man, but a court martial found him guilty of sexual assault, false imprisonment and possession of cocaine - which was found in his coat pocket when he was arrested.