Sailor 'filmed himself raping colleague'

• Sailor faces court over alleged rape
• Another trainee convicted of child porn
• "Drugs and booze culture" at naval base

SEX scandal allegations engulfing the Royal Australian Navy have worsened with a sailor facing court for allegedly filming a sexual assault on a colleague and revelations another trainee remained in service despite being prosecuted for possessing child pornography.

In allegations that follow last March's alleged webcam sex scandal at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, a sailor will face court in August charged with the rape of a female colleague, in an incident he is accused of filming on his phone. The sailor has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It is alleged the woman could not remember the incident and only became aware of it after the man boasted to other sailors and showed them the footage at HMAS Cerberus, Australia's largest naval training base.

A whistleblower also claimed he was told by investigators from the Australian Defence Force Investigation Service not to go public about the alleged incident.

The Herald Sun can also reveal another trainee in the same Rogers Division, Luke Grant Stewart, was allowed to remain in the navy despite pleading guilty to knowingly possessing child pornography.

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Stewart was even allowed to accompany children's tour groups through Cerberus's museum despite being caught with the pornography in his room at Rogers Division.

He was ordered to have counselling and pay $1000 to a children's charity in May 2008 by Frankston Magistrates' Court. He only recently left the service.
A navy spokesman said his departure was unrelated to the charges.
The Herald Sun can reveal allegations of a widespread culture of drugs and binge drinking at HMAS Cerberus, with at least nine trainees kicked out of the base in the past four years after returning positive drug tests.
Some of the trainees booted out for drugs and the man facing rape charges came from the base's troubled Rogers Division.
More than 100 people have left that division over the past four years, many in frustration, with a whistleblower claiming he was told not to speak about the problems at the base.
The navy has since introduced programs to change its culture.

"The New Generation Navy project launched two years ago aims to improve and modernise navy's culture, leadership and structure," a spokesman said.
Insiders say many of the problems at Rogers Division arose because those in the unit had nothing to do for months on end.

"We watched DVDs all day. We were promised deployments and training ... The navy is out there trying to recruit, but they don't even know what to do with the people they've got," a source said.