FORMER NAVY OFFICER JAILED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
A former officer of the Royal Navy, Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter, aged 46, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for sexually assaulting and unlawfully imprisoning a sailor, as well as for possessing cocaine.The incident took place in his quarters at HMS Drake on the Navy’s Devonport naval base in Plymouth during November 2022.
The court characterized the assault as an "ambush" and described it as a "planned and predatory" attack aimed at a vulnerable young man, with alcohol and drugs playing a role in enabling the offense.
Judge Advocate Legard emphasized that Cursiter’s conduct was unacceptable and violated military standards.
He will serve half of his prison term and has been dishonorably discharged from the Navy, while also being placed on the sex offenders register.
