Caroline Williams/Stuff
A navy sailor has been accused of strangling two of his comrades and making racist comments.
Two navy sailors have told a court martial they almost passed out when they were allegedly strangled by their comrade.
The Royal New Zealand Navy ordinary rate (rank of a sailor) is facing charges of strangulation and using insulting language at a court martial at Devonport Naval Base.
The sailor, who has interim name suppression, denies the charges.
The alleged offending took place in navy accommodation in early 2023, prosecutor flight lieutenant Charlie Haines told the court on Monday.
The first victim was walking out of a closet when the sailor allegedly went up behind him and hooked a long rag around his neck and tightened it, without warning.
“I couldn’t breathe or anything. I didn’t know what was going on,” the victim told the court martial.
“Everything started to go a bit blurry and faint.”
The victim had to lay on the ground to recover from the alleged strangulation, which almost made him pass out and left him with a mark on his neck, Haines said.
Caroline Williams/Stuff
Both victims said they couldn’t breathe during the alleged strangulations.
The sailor is alleged to have made a comment along the lines of: “You should be thanking me, it’s a good feeling getting to the stage before passing out”.
The second victim said he was ironing his uniform in preparation for a kit muster when he was called away for 10 minutes.
A kit muster is when sailors must iron, fold and polish their uniform and lay it in a specific configuration on their bed, which must also be immaculately tidy.
When the victim returned, his uniform was on the floor and the accused was using the ironing board.
When the victim confronted him, a verbal exchange took place during which the sailor threatened to kill the victim, Haines said.
The victim responded by unplugging the iron. The sailor then allegedly grabbed the victim’s neck with his hands and applied pressure, pushing him up against a bunk bed and restricting his breathing until he felt like he would pass out.
“I felt like I was losing my breath, but I was still conscious. I felt like I could not breathe,” he said, adding that he felt scared.
“It was so unexpected that I didn’t know what to do.”
Witnesses broke up the altercation and the victim left the room. The witnesses held the accused back as he tried to follow, the victim said.
The sailor is also accused of making racist remarks towards the second victim, including that he “doesn’t like Indians” and something akin to: “If I find out he’s Indian, he should standby”.
In the navy, sailors who are told to standby can expect to be told off by a superior, the victim said, adding that it is “not a good thing”.
The first few times the comments were made, the victim didn’t take them too seriously.
However, the offensive comments eventually made him feel “not good at all” and “undervalued”.
The court martial before Judge Mina Wharepouri continues.
What is a court martial?
The court martial oversees cases where a breach of military discipline or other offences may have occurred.
Possible sentences include prison and dismissal from the forces, detention, demotion, severe reprimand or a fine.
A judge presides over the court martial and a panel of military members will decide if the accused is guilty or not guilty.
If found guilty, the military members and the judge will decide the sentence.
Court martial decisions can be appealed.
