A veteran member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corp has been charged with sex assault and sexual interference for his actions involving a 13-year-old female cadet, police say.
The case comes shortly after an earlier incident involving members of the same cadet corporation in April involving two 14-year-old girls from the same region, though police would not confirm whether they were the same victims.
The latest incident came to light on Monday after police received a report about it that day, the RCMP said in a news release.
The Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corp is a federal youth organization for people of all ages that provides leadership and camaraderie while introducing young people to aviation as a career or career interest. The organization has operated in Canada since 1958 and works toward flying. It was founded by the country’s air force.
It has about 23,000 members and is especially popular among youth in public schools, according to its website. There are nearly 130,000 Air Cadets in Canada, according to its website.
Maurine Mackay, the spokeswoman for Air Cadets, said in an email that its organization is “shocked and deeply saddened” by what had happened.
“Our organization has zero tolerance for this type of behavior and we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that the individual has the necessary programs to retrain and equip him/her to make good decisions when engaging in social interactions,” Mackay said.
Mackay said members of the Cadet Corp can be ordered to attend special workshops on issues such as sexual assault awareness and sensitivity training that addresses rape myths.
In the video posted to social media, the accused can be seen and heard in the background as the alleged victim stands outside her home and recounts the alleged incident. “I think I’m in way too much pain, and if you think you can help me it won’t get any better … I will not take no for an answer,” she says in the video. “He ripped my tights and said, ‘Have you been practicing my sex moves?’ I had tears in my eyes and said ‘Yes, of course.’”
The video shows the man and woman in the background of the incident “laughing and joking,” according to the newspaper.