Former Royal Navy officer jailed for ‘predatory’ sexual assault at Plymouth base
Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter has been sentenced to 33 months in prison
A former Royal Navy officer has been sentenced to 33 months in prison after he sexually assaulted a young sailor in a “planned and predatory” attack on a naval base.
Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter, 46, has been sentenced for sexually assaulting and falsely imprisoning the sailor, and for possessing cocaine, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) said.
The former submarine officer assaulted the “vulnerable young man” in his room at HMS Drake – also known as the Fleet Accommodation Centre – on the Navy’s Devonport base in Plymouth, in November 2022.
Cursiter, who was found guilty of the charges after a Court Martial trial on May 28, will serve half of his sentence in custody.
Judge Advocate Legard described the attack as an “ambush”, adding: “The sexual assault was planned and predatory: a senior officer targeted a young rating who was vulnerable, with the offence facilitated through drink and drugs.”
Prosecutor William Peters said it was “a serious assault on a vulnerable young man”.
Cursiter has been dismissed with disgrace from His Majesty’s service and placed on the sex offenders register.