Adm Sir Ben Key described allegations regarding Royal Navy personnel as ‘abhorrent’ (Picture: Supplied)
The head of the Royal Navy has defended its handling of rape, sexual abuse and harassment allegations, arguing that independent investigations would take longer and ‘lead to less good outcomes’.
Adm Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord, last month ordered an inquiry into ‘abhorrent’ claims of inappropriate behaviour in the submarine service.
He told BBC Radio 4 on Sunday: ‘It is absolutely true that, for a long time, our investigation processes were too closely aligned with the chain of command, which could then on occasion be seen as presenting a conflict.
‘We have changed it now so that anyone who wishes to raise a formal complaint, the admissibility and the handling of that complaint is immediately taken away from the unit they’re serving in and assessed at the headquarters, and will then be independently investigated.’
The admiral said it was important investigators understood the pressures of life at sea.
It came after the Daily Mail reported that submariners had compiled a ‘crush depth rape list’, with women ranked in the order they should be attacked if the vessel was about to implode.
Women were frequently screamed at, called c**** and hit with clipboards and pens, the newspaper alleged.
Sophie Brook: ‘The best thing I ever did was leave the Navy but I worry about the women I left behind’
Rape, sexual abuse and harassment allegations have resulted in an internal inquiry by the Royal Navy (Picture: Ritchie Harvey/AFP/Getty Images)
Former lieutenant Sophie Brook, 30, said a colleague assaulted her while she slept and a senior officer would lick her ear and blow on her neck.
‘The best thing I ever did was leave the Navy but I worry about the women I left behind. It was just a constant campaign of sexual bullying,’ she said. ‘It’s just unfortunate the “old boys’ club” makes the Navy such a hostile and misogynistic place.’
The Mail said Ms Brook left the service when she was investigated for sharing in an email sensitive information about her submarine’s movements.
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The paper said she resigned in January but was formally dismissed in June and handed a suspended prison sentence.
Another whistleblower, who had served in a senior position in the fleet, claimed that women are constantly pestered for sex.
Announcing the inquiry on October 29, Sir Ben said sexual assault and harassment had no place in the Navy. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence aligned the Navy, RAF and Army under one approach to dealing with such incidents.
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Adm Sir Ben Key says investigators must ‘understand pressure of life at sea’.
