RAF reservist who sent dick pics to female colleague after getting drunk on his first ever deployment abroad is kicked out of the Armed Forces
An RAF reservist has been kicked out of the Armed Forces after he sent unwanted dick pics to a female colleague.
An RAF reservist has been kicked out of the Armed Forces after he sent unwanted dick pics to a female colleague.
Air Specialist Pieter Potgieter drunkenly tried to strike up a flirty conservation with the servicewoman while on deployment in Cyprus before things quickly spiralled, a court heard.
The 42-year-old spent more than two hours WhatsApping the indecent photos to his colleague who was in the UK at the time after she rebuffed him.
AS1 Potgieter, who was based at RAF Brize Norton, deleted the images and sent an apology message to the reservist when he sobered up and realised what he had done.
The victim said the incident made her worry what AS1 Potgieter could do to other female colleagues or even if he would show up at her house when he returned from his deployment.
Pieter Potgieter outside Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire. The Air Specialist drunkenly tried to strike up a flirty conservation with a servicewoman while on deployment in Cyprus before things quickly spiralled, the court heard
Bulford Military Court Centre, Wiltshire. Sentencing AS1 Potgieter at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Assistant Judge Advocate General Andrew Smith said the offence was so serious he had to be dismissed but acknowledged that the serviceman was extremely remorseful
He has now been dismissed from the air force after pleading guilty to one charge of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind.
Sentencing AS1 Potgieter at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Assistant Judge Advocate General Andrew Smith said the offence was so serious he had to be dismissed but acknowledged that the serviceman was extremely remorseful.
Judge Advocate Smith said: There was no suggestion there had ever been anything but a proper working relationship between you.
There was nothing in the background to suggest there was anything more.
You were involved in an inappropriate conversation with her, she tried to close the conversation down, she tried to do it in a light hearted manner.
You are a man of good character, you are extremely remorseful, you apologised relatively soon after when you sobered up.
The view of this court martial is that despite the fact this was an isolated offence it is so serious dismissal is justified.
Lieutenant Commander Andy Ramage, prosecuting, described the offence which began with AS1 Potgieter attempting a flirty conversation with the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
The defendant and the victim are both RAF reservists, they were known to each other but their relationship was as colleagues, he said.
The defendant was deployed to Cyprus and the victim was in the UK.
The defendant sent several messages attempting to engage in a flirty conversation, he also sent a voice message that indicated he was heavily intoxicated.
The flirty conversation was rebuffed by the victim and she ended the conversation by saying she was going to sleep.
Lt Cdr Ramage continued: The defendant then sent a number of images of his penis, both flaccid and erect.
Although the victim did not open them she could clearly see [from the thumbnail] these were images of the defendants penis.
The defendant deleted these images and apologised.
The incident was intentionally indecent, the crown also say this was persistent activity, the defendant sent multiple images of his penis.
The court heard that the victim reported the images, using screenshots of the message previews to prove AS1 Potgieter had sent them.
When he was interviewed about the incident AS1 Potgieter described his level of drunkenness as eight out of 10 and said he was feeling horny when he sent the messages.
Lt Cdr Ramage also read a statement from the servicewoman humiliated by her co-workers actions.
She said: I felt terrified, humiliated and vulnerable, I decided to report it fearing he was capable of repeating this behaviour or worse to female colleagues.
This has affected my confidence so much I have considered resigning from the RAF reservists.
Close up of the Royal Air Force badge on a UK military camouflage uniform. As well as dismissal AS1 Potgieter was sentenced to a 12 month service community order with 15 rehabilitation days (file image)
RAF Hawker Hurricane. Mitigating, Rachel Beckett said it was wholly out of character and that AS1 Potgieter was feeling vulnerable during his deployment because it was his first trip abroad in 20 years (file image)
I will not let AS1 Potgieter strip me of my RAF career.
This incident has left me isolated from my family as I feel too humiliated to tell them what AS1 Potgieter did.
I am a very balanced individual but this has caused me great anxiety, I am anxious around males I do not know well.
Mitigating, Rachel Beckett said it was wholly out of character and that AS1 Potgieter was feeling vulnerable during his deployment because it was his first trip abroad in 20 years.
He has been interested in the RAF from a young age, she said.
Whilst it was more than one photo sent, it was in one period of time, about two hours and 20 minutes where photos of his genitals were sent as well as photos of innocuous matters.
He has a good disciplinary record, he has shown remorse by deleting the images, they were received but by the time the victim looked at them they had been deleted.
At the time of the offence he was overseas and it was the first time he had been overseas since 2003.
He was feeling very low, missing his family, he was in a vulnerable state, he had had an argument about politics with colleague.
It was his decision and his alone to drink alcohol and his decision alone to send these pictures.
This matter is wholly out of character.
As well as dismissal AS1 Potgieter was sentenced to a 12 month service community order with 15 rehabilitation days.
