THE Department of Defence is hiding behind “privacy concerns” to avoid answering questions about whether a serving member of the Air Force who plead guilty to multiple sex offences last month was posted to RAAF Base Tindal when rumours about the scandal broke in New South Wales.
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Christopher Robert Adams, 25, pleaded guilty in Newcastle District Court on September 24 to five counts of having sexual intercourse with three victims under the age of 18 while they were under his care.
Adams was a firefighter at the RAAF Williamtown Base and doubled as a leading aircraftsman in the Australian Air Force Cadets, where he met the three girls during school holiday courses.
A statement of agreed facts tendered to the court said Adams groomed the girls with explicit messages on Facebook and via text before the contact became physical.
He was even able to tutor one of his victims in maths, despite not having any qualifications, and assaulted the 16-year-old in her family home while her parents were in another room.
Two offences were committed against that girl in the Cessnock area in 2012 and he was charged after police recorded a conversation between Adams and the victim during which he admitted he “did a lot of bad stuff’.’
Adams also offended at the RAAF’s Forest Hill base at Wagga Wagga, where he groomed two 17-year-olds at different courses at Williamtown and the Riverina.
He was then moved to RAAF Base Tindal in early 2014, a posting a mother of one the victims – who spoke to the Katherine Times on the condition of anonymity – said she believed was “definitely not” a coincidence.
“For myself, as a mother, it has personally gutted me and divorced my sense of trust of persons who are in charge of children and, in this matter, Australian Defence Force and Australian Air Force Cadets personnel,” she said angrily.
Following his guilty plea, Adams was bailed to live at an address in Katherine, understood to be in Katherine East, until sentencing proceedings get underway this month.
He is currently suspended from duties at RAAF Base Tindal but a Department of Defence spokesperson would not explain why he had not been dishonorably discharged after he admitted to the offences, nor would they provide details about his posting to Katherine.
“Defence cannot respond to these questions due to privacy considerations,” the spokesperson said.
“The Air Force member is currently suspended from his normal permanent Air Force duties.
“Following the court findings … Defence is reviewing his continued service.”
