‘Despicable betrayal of trust’: Person of interest identified after recording device found in navy ship bathroom

The Royal Australian Navy is inspecting every bathroom in its fleet as military police speak to a person of interest in the probe into a recording device found on a ship.

Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley called the discovery on the HMAS Leeuwin, reportedly in the female sailors’ shower facilities, a “despicable betrayal of trust”. 

“You have my assurance and commitment that we will tackle this act of sexual violence with all of our energy,” the Chief of Navy said, in a statement issued on Thursday evening.

“Any perpetrator will be held to account. Further, you should all know that eradicating sexual violence in our workplace is fundamental to the fighting efficiency of our Navy.”

Defence said an ADF member had been identified as a person of interest and was assisting the Joint Military Police Unit with its inquiries.

Buckley said the ship’s program had been altered to help the investigation and promised a “100 per cent audit of all of our bathrooms across the fleet”.

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“This act is the most despicable betrayal of trust and is fundamentally misaligned with our values,” he said.

“We will not, however, be defined by acts of this nature. Our Navy is one where highly professional warfighters must rely day in day out on their shipmates.

“Anything that undermines the trust and respect we need for one another will not be tolerated.”

Defence on Wednesday said the device was found in a bathroom on the survey ship on October 11 but did not confirm Senator Jacqui Lambie’s report that it was in a female shower area.

“Even more disturbing are claims that footage from these cameras may have been uploaded online before the cameras were discovered,” the military veteran told the Senate earlier in the day.

“The sender’s greatest worry is that similar devices may be in other vessels.”

HMAS Leeuwin remains docked in Cairns to allow investigators to examine the scene and provide support to crew members.

Professional support has been made available to Defence personnel affected by the incident.