A former commander of a UK nuclear submarine has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for the sexual assault of a junior sailor. Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter, 46, was found guilty of sexual assault, false imprisonment, and possession of cocaine following a court martial.
The assault occurred in November 2022 when Cursiter supplied the 20-year-old trainee submariner with alcohol and cocaine. The court heard that Cursiter invited the sailor to the officers' mess bar at HMS Drake, where he took photographs of the intoxicated sailor. Cursiter then led the sailor to his cabin and committed the assault.
The victim stated that he only realized the gravity of the situation when he woke up in Cursiter's bed. He reported that he woke up in boxers, socks, and a t-shirt and immediately suspected he had been assaulted, telling a staff member, "I think I have been raped."
Toxicology tests later confirmed the presence of drugs in the victim's system. The victim, who had aspired to a career in the Navy since childhood, left the service shortly after the incident and has since undergone therapy.
Judge Advocate Edward Legard described the assault as "planned and predatory," stating that Cursiter used alcohol and drugs to incapacitate the victim. "You made sure your victim was incapacitated through a combination of alcohol and drugs and you abused your rank and position," Legard said. "This was an inexcusable betrayal of the values and standards of the armed forces."
Cursiter, who served in the Navy for 22 years and was an executive officer at the UK's nuclear submarine base in Faslane, previously commanded the nuclear-enabled HMS Vanguard. Following his arrest, another former Royal Navy rating came forward alleging a previous sexual assault by Cursiter in 2013. However, Cursiter was cleared of those charges by the court martial board.
Cursiter's defense team noted that he has lost his rank and reputation, and faces challenges in finding civilian employment. A pre-sentence report indicated Cursiter had issues with alcohol and acknowledged a "culture of drinking within the Navy, which is prevalent within the submarine service."