Air Force launches inquiry into sex complaints

Saturday, 11 July 2015

The Air Force has ordered an independent inquiry into the way it handles sexual assault complaints after lobbying by victims of a former sergeant who committed sexual offences against at least five girls.

The independent inquiry came about after victims of Robert Richard Roper - who was jailed for 13 years in February for crimes including raping his daughter - launched their own investigation into why the Air Force didn't stop the predator in the 1970s and 80s.

In another case from the same period, an Air Force member who confessed to abusing a young girl after being confronted by his wife, their church and his bosses was not referred to police.

The Air Force confirmed it would appoint a Queen's Counsel to set parameters for the inquiry and he or she would be free to approach anyone within the organisation.

It is understood the inquiry may be broadened to include the whole of the Defence Force and will look at other casesIt

Roper's victims were helped by national rape survivor advocate Louise Nicholas, who accused police officers of gang raping her in the 1980s.

Nicholas wrote to Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee, who referred the case to Air Force chief Air Vice-Marshal Mike Yardley.

Nicholas then advised Yardley on how to deal with the women so they were not re-victimised.

Yardley said in a statement he had instigated an independent inquiry and he hoped to appoint a QC shortly. He declined to comment further.

Roper, 69, was found guilty of 20 charges after a trial last November. The offending happened between 1976 and 1988, while Roper was at the Air Force base at Hobsonville, in the transport division.

He began the sexual offending against his daughter when she was just six and was convicted of raping her when she was 11. He also also committed sexual offences against four other girls and since his trial others making further allegations have come forward.

Roper's offending only came to light in 2012 when his daughter, Karina Andrews, who had her name suppression lifted so she could talk about the case, approached police.

 Andrews said the Air Force interviewed her three times during her childhood but took no action. . At one point she was questioned in front of her father. Roper left the Air Force in the 1990s.

Andrews claims the Air Force had 'basically ignored' complaints and other warning signs about her father.

'When you've got somebody in your section that's referred to as 'Groper Roper' or 'Rocky Raper' you think 'hello, there's something going on here', but no, they really did turn their back on it.'

Louise Nicholas.

 Another similar case came before the courts in 2012, when a former Air Force member was jailed for a year for sexually abusing a young girl between 1979 and 1982. The Court of Appeal quashed the prison term, partly because he'd confessed at the time but no charges were laid. He was instead given home detention and ordered to pay his victim $5000.

After Roper was sentenced, Andrews and three other victims worked together to find out more information about who in the Air Force knew of the allegations. The same names kept 'popping up' and the women took their evidence to Yardley.

Andrews said protocols in the Air Force were lacking and she hoped the inquiry would highlight areas for change so that no-one else would find themselves in her position.

'Once I had that safe environment it was easy to tell my story, but that took 30-odd years. It wasn't the NZDF who did the work, but the police force.

'I'm talking about that little 6 year-old girl, who was being abused with nowhere to go, I need somewhere for that little girl to go.'

 Andrews said although Roper's offending happened a long time ago, that did not mean there was no longer a problem.

'It's a culture…and that's very hard to change.'

 Nicholas said the inquiry needed to go wider.

'It has to go right across defence. Here's a massive opportunity for everybody to jump on board and say, 'how can we support those within our organisation…and keep them safe?''

Air Vice Marshal Mike Yardley.

Nicholas said police made changes after her case, and she believed the Air Force was looking to follow that example.

'I think the Defence Force needs to look at how these women can help them, to grab their knowledge and work alongside them. 

'They felt it was a cover-up, no-one was listening to them as children. In 2015 that's got to stop. Just because [the Roper case] is historic, don't believe it isn't happening today.'

 She was proud of the victims.

 'As children they went through hell. To be able to keep going so nobody else goes through what they did is testament to the courage and strength they all have.'