Court martial of sergeant in Air Force sex scandal starts
Source: Agencies |
July 18, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A UNITED States military jury was yesterday set to begin hearing the case of an Air Force sergeant who faces the most serious charges in a widening sex scandal at the base where every American airman reports for basic training.
Staff Sergeant Luis Walker is among 12 instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, who are being investigated, and faces the most serious charges-28 counts, including rape, aggravated sexual contact and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault. He could get up to life in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted.
Six of the 12 instructors face charges ranging from rape to adultery.
The 10 female recruits Walker is accused of either sexually assaulting or engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with are expected to testify.
One of the women briefly testified on Monday, saying Walker had texted her a photograph of himself shirtless. Defense attorneys had questioned the authenticity of the photo. Prosecutors say Walker told the woman that she was "hot" and "should have been naked."
At least 31 female trainees have been identified as victims. Officials at Lackland call Walker's court-martial the "cornerstone case" in the investigation.
Lackland is where every American airman reports for basic training-about 35,000 a year. About one in five is female, pushed through eight weeks of basic training by a flight of instructors who are about 90 percent male.
The sexual misconduct at the base apparently began in 2009, but the first woman didn't come forward until last year. The first allegations were levied against Walker, who is accused of crimes that allegedly took place between October 2010 and January 2011.
According to the Air Force charge sheet, Walker had sex with four of the 10 female recruits. He also is accused of forcing five recruits to engage in sexual acts by threatening their military careers and intimidating two of the women into lying about his alleged misconduct.
Walker was a trainer for about 18 months, until he was removed from his post in June 2011. The Air Force is withholding his age and hometown.
The first court-martial in the case resulted in a plea agreement in June, when Staff Sergeant Peter Vega-Maldonado admitted to having sex with a female trainee. He struck a plea deal for 90 days of confinement.
Staff Sergeant Luis Walker is among 12 instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, who are being investigated, and faces the most serious charges-28 counts, including rape, aggravated sexual contact and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault. He could get up to life in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted.
Six of the 12 instructors face charges ranging from rape to adultery.
The 10 female recruits Walker is accused of either sexually assaulting or engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with are expected to testify.
One of the women briefly testified on Monday, saying Walker had texted her a photograph of himself shirtless. Defense attorneys had questioned the authenticity of the photo. Prosecutors say Walker told the woman that she was "hot" and "should have been naked."
At least 31 female trainees have been identified as victims. Officials at Lackland call Walker's court-martial the "cornerstone case" in the investigation.
Lackland is where every American airman reports for basic training-about 35,000 a year. About one in five is female, pushed through eight weeks of basic training by a flight of instructors who are about 90 percent male.
The sexual misconduct at the base apparently began in 2009, but the first woman didn't come forward until last year. The first allegations were levied against Walker, who is accused of crimes that allegedly took place between October 2010 and January 2011.
According to the Air Force charge sheet, Walker had sex with four of the 10 female recruits. He also is accused of forcing five recruits to engage in sexual acts by threatening their military careers and intimidating two of the women into lying about his alleged misconduct.
Walker was a trainer for about 18 months, until he was removed from his post in June 2011. The Air Force is withholding his age and hometown.
The first court-martial in the case resulted in a plea agreement in June, when Staff Sergeant Peter Vega-Maldonado admitted to having sex with a female trainee. He struck a plea deal for 90 days of confinement.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
