Mock court martial gives Airmen insight into sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Not many Airmen have witnessed a court martial proceeding, and even fewer have seen one dealing with an alleged sexual assault. But an event Friday allowed Kirtland Airmen to gain insight into that process by way of a mock trial.

The mock trial was held as part of a Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month series. About 150 Airmen turned out to serve as members of the mock panel deciding the fate of the accused.

Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Pamela Reeves said it is important for her office to make Airmen understand that a court martial over an accusation of sexual assault is a serious and difficult matter.

"Very few of our Airmen are able to get into a courtroom, so there's a lot of speculation," she said. "This gives them a chance to see how it actually works, rather than hear about it through the rumor mill. And this is a very good depiction of what people go through."

The initial facts of the mock case were presented in a short film. Airman 1st Class Wilkins is a young woman on her first assignment in the Air Force who has grown close to Senior Airman Wilson, who she views as a brother. Wilson, on the other hand, believes Wilkins is attracted to him and acts possessively toward her.

Despite his advances, Wilkins continues to spend time with Wilson to avoid hurting his feelings. One night, the two go drinking together and end up spending the night at Wilkins' dorm room. It is at this point where the situation becomes unclear and accusations emerge.

In her testimony, Wilkins says she awoke to Wilson on top of her, engaging in sexual activity without her consent. According to Wilson, despite both of them being highly intoxicated, she asked him to have sex with her.

A fellow Airman reported Wilkins' story to the base SARC, and Wilkins advanced the complaint. Base authorities investigated the matter and concluded a court martial is necessary.

Following the film, Kirtland Airmen acted out the parts of the accused, the victim, their legal representatives and the judge for the court martial. Wilkins answered questions asked by her and Wilson's legal representatives. Wilson did not testify in his own defense.

According to the vote tally, 59 Airmen felt the defendant was not guilty while 50 said Wilson had committed sexual assault as defined by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Lt. Col. Tammie Sledge, 377th Air Base Wing staff judge advocate, played the part of the judge in the trial. She said it is important for Airmen to know how easily they could find themselves in legal trouble.

Sledge used the trial to illustrate the concepts of consent --an agreement to engage in sexual conduct given by a competent person -- and the idea of being "substantially incapable" of giving that consent, in this case due to alcohol consumption.

The mock trial's scenario is based on a real-life situation that occurred at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in 2011. In that trial, like the Kirtland mock trial, the defendant was found not guilty. After the trial, the victim in the case gave her permission for the case to be used for Air Force training.