Judge finds cadets were abused

Nineteen cases of alleged sexual abuse - including two of rape - have been revealed by an inquiry into an Army cadet school.

The historic abuses at the Waiouru cadet school are recorded in the report by retired High Court judge David Morris. He said all those who took part in attacking another cadet were guilty of assault.

Defence Minister Phil Goff said the instances of alleged abuse were "serious criminal offences" and urged those affected to take police action.

The inquiry also examined the events surrounding the killing of 17-year-old cadet Grant Bain in 1981.

Mr Bain was fatally shot in the neck by cadet Andrew Read.

Read, who himself died in a forestry accident in 1998, pleaded guilty to a charge of carelessly discharging a firearm causing death and was fined $200 and given 200 hours of community service.

But Justice Morris said Read should have been charged with manslaughter and believes he would have been imprisoned for four years.

Justice Morris said mistakes were made by the authorities and the firearms charge was inappropriate.

Mr Goff has written a letter of apology to the Bain family and will meet them to discuss compensation.

The inquiry into the cadet school, which operated between 1948 and 1991, was ordered in October last year by then Defence Minister Mark Burton after former cadet Ian Fraser published a report on the internet that detailed physical, sexual and psychological abuse at the school.

Justice Morris' findings record numerous alleged incidents of "bullying" and assault, but he says there was no culture of violence at the school and that sexual abuse of cadets was extremely rare.

"A contention a culture of violence existed throughout the existence of the school is not supported by my inquiries and is a gross overstatement."

Justice Morris said in some years, a few, mainly senior cadets, behaved "like a gang of thugs" and bullied a "limited" number of cadets.

He said the subjects of that bullying tended to be cadets who had not met the standard of hygiene or who had "dragged the chain".

Mr Fraser told the Herald that Justice Morris' findings backed up his allegations and the acknowledgement that there had been some abuse was enough for him.

"I'm happy that the Government has pretty much admitted that mistakes were made over Grant Bain's killing. Hopefully the Bains can now get some closure on the incident."

Mr Fraser said he would not lay police complaints over the physical abuse he suffered, but urged those who had been seriously sexually or physically abused to do so.

Defence Force chief Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson said it appeared a number of cadets had to put up with treatment meted out by their comrades which "no person should have been exposed to in any circumstances".

"For that I express my sincere regrets."

Mr Goff said, other than the Bain family, the Government was not looking at providing compensation for alleged victims of abuse at the school.