Naval officer jailed for spanking junior

Lieutenant John Alan Jones stood in the dock dressed in a civilian business shirt and slacks during the closing moments of his court martial yesterday afternoon.

The 57-year-old former supply officer aboard HMAS Sirius had first entered the Fyshwick courtroom as a lieutenant-commander just over three weeks ago on November 29 to contest nine charges of committing acts of indecency against a young subordinate on the naval logistics ship.

The real-life military legal drama came to an end just after 4pm with Jones sentenced to 18 months' jail, demotion by one rank from lieutenant-commander to lieutenant and dismissal from the Royal Australian Navy after being found guilty of seven offences.

He was also fined $2000, having earlier pleaded guilty to attempting to destroy a navy laptop computer on which spanking pornography had been stored.

Jones can apply to be released on a six-month good behaviour bond after serving the first 12 months of his sentence.

His defence was complicated from the start by the early admission into evidence of a covert smartphone recording, made by his victim while they were driving around Perth together, in which he admitted spanking her on three separate occasions.

While he never took the stand, a fact Judge Advocate Lieutenant-Colonel Jennifer Woodward told the Court Martial panel could not be held against him, Jones's barrister, Lieutenant-Commander Alister Abadee, said the spankings weren't sexual.

Jones had been trying to instil discipline into a wayward and headstrong young female by ordering her to remove her blouse and expose her bra, by spanking her on four occasions - three times on her bare buttocks, making her count the blows and ordering her to say she was a naughty girl.

During her emotionally charged testimony the victim, whose identity cannot be made public, said all the incidents had occurred, she had not wanted them to occur and she had been so distressed she had considered suicide.

She had been scared of Jones and had not thought others would believe her claims because of the difference in their ranks.

Prosecutor, Flight Lieutenant Steven Whybrow, said Jones's abuse of his authority made the offences worse. Panel president, Captain Michael Hickey (RAN), cited this as a key reason to jail the former supply officer.

Lieutenant-Commander Abadee, who told the court the victim could have stopped the spankings if she had complained earlier, said Jones had also had ''suicidal ideation''. While the demotion takes effect immediately the other punishments do not come into force until the automatic review of the court martial is complete. Jones, who was taken to Duntroon for medical assessment after the sentencing, is to be held at Sydney's Holsworthy military detention centre until then.