A cadet member of Canada’s Royal Canadian Air Cadet organization and a Royal Canadian Air Force member from Britain have been charged with sexually assaulting a Canadian teenager earlier this year in his Canada-bound plane seat.
The two Canadians, who are in their early 20s, were first arrested in connection with the alleged assault in the United Kingdom in late January before being apprehended by Canadian authorities.
The Calgary Herald reports that according to RCMP, the men were allegedly photographed having sex in their seats. A teenage girl, who used the Internet, reportedly contacted one of the men to report that she’d been sexually assaulted.
The pair were first charged last week in Calgary, Alberta, following a series of interviews, the Herald reports.
The two men are alleged to have “engaged in various sexual acts” with the girl, who was 18 at the time of the alleged attack, and officials are examining a “sizeable” photo collection.
“We’re going to look at this massive image set to see if there is other victims,” Insp. Rick Holtz told the Calgary Herald.
The Royal Canadian Air Cadet Association is the state-run organization that provides a way for children to attain honor and pride in their country, according to its website. The organization runs more than 450 different units across Canada. Members are required to be between ages 10 and 18 and have completed no more than 2,000 hours of academy service.
In its Handbook for Cadets, the association, which is classified as a private organization, outlines a total code of conduct for its members.
“If a cadet does make a mistake, then that cadet has been forgiven by their fellow cadets, and they are able to forgive themselves,” the guideline reads. “Most of the time, the bad decisions made by a cadet are down to youthful inexperience or peer pressure.”
The members are also expected to “take the law into their own hands in situations where they feel threatened, harassed or in any way would abuse power.”
The guidelines call for members to “expunge the fact of their crime, in order to rebuild their lives.”
Canada’s BIAFRAC Women’s Auxiliary told the Canadian Press that it is investigating whether officials or cadets violated the code of conduct.
“We have no information about how we left this member’s membership or if any inappropriate actions were committed during his or her service,”
Local Canadian news reported that both men were originally banned from flying with the cadet organization. The page of the organization’s website listing the “inactive” members has since been replaced.
The two have been barred from traveling abroad, among other reasons, and both were charged in relation to the incident in January.