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Skype sex cadets charged for misusing telco services

Aussie Defence Force clueless on social media

Police in Australia have finally worked out how to charge two Australian Defence Force Academy cadets at the center of the ‘Skype sex scandal’.

At the end of last week, the two were charged with “using a carriage service to cause offence" for their alleged role in broadcasting a fellow female cadet engaging in consensual sex.

The Australian Defence Force Academy has also indicated that the duo are also facing possible suspension and/or further action.

The accused cadets Daniel McDonald, 19, and Dylan De Blaquiere, 18, appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday to face the charge with McDonald facing an additional charge of committing an act of indecency.

McDonald allegedly bragged of his plan on Facebook to "root a girl n (sic) have a webcam setup" allowing fellow students of the Australian Defence Force Academy to watch via Skype. The unnamed female cadet was unaware of his plan to film the consensual sex.

"Now that the two officer cadets have been charged with criminal offences in the civilian criminal justice system, ADFA is now considering the possibility of taking further adverse administrative action against these cadets," the Defence spokesman told said.

The incident has incited an imbroglio between the DFA and the Defence Minister Stephen Smith, sparked a wide ranging cultural review of the DFA, six separate inquiries and a raft of unrelated claims of sexual misconduct and cover-up within the defence community.

The “cultural stocktake” currently underway focuses heavily on the use of social media and personal conduct at ADFA.

The Defence force has admitted that “the impact of social media has created new challenges for the ADF and the Defence organisation. Things which are conducted privately may be appropriate, but they are not appropriate if they are conducted in public, including through the use of social media.”

Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has also been charged with examining the treatment of women in the ADF. ®

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