Former nuclear submarine commander faces jail for sex attack on junior sailor he plied with cocaine

By GLEN KEOGH, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:08, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 13:08, 29 May 2026 A former nuclear submarine commander is facing jail after being convicted of sexually assaulting a junior Royal Navy sailor who was plied with drugs and led to the officer’s quarters. Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter, 46, gave the young submariner, who was so drunk he had no memory of being led to the officer's quarters, cocaine and took him back to the mess at HMS Drake. His victim told a week-long court martial of his horror at waking up in the executive officer's bed with their hands touching. Cursiter then refused to allow the sick and confused sailor to leave his quarters, before eventually relenting. The younger man was then heard letting out a ‘howling cry’ and told a member of staff on base: ‘I think I have been raped’ He later added that he was contemplating suicide. Cursiter denied sexually assaulting the young man, who left the service after the incident in November 2022. But a court martial board at Catterick Military Court in North Yorks, found Cursiter, of Balloch, Dunbartonshire, guilty of sexual assault, false imprisonment and possession of cocaine, which was found in his coat pocket on his arrest. Lieutenant Commander John Cursiter, 46, is facing jail for a sex attack on a junior sailor following a night out drinking He was marched off his permanent base at Faslane on the Clyde - the home of Britain's nuclear submarine unit - in disgrace by Royal Military Police. Cursiter, a former deputy commander of the nuclear-armed sub HMS Vanguard, quit the navy after his arrest. When news of the police action broke, a second former Royal Navy rating came forward to say he too had been sexually assaulted by Cursiter after a night of heavy drinking near Faslane in 2013. Cursiter denied the offences ever happened and was cleared of three counts of sexual assault against the second complainant by the court martial board. He will be sentenced for the 2022 incidents in July and faces up to six months in prison for his crimes, which were described as a ‘breach of trust’ in his position as a senior officer. The sexual assaults followed a night out in Plymouth involving officers and submariners. The victim, who has since left the Navy, told the court: ‘I am a straight guy, I have been with my partner for many years and I had only ever spoken to John Cursiter on that day. ‘To wake up in his bed made me think I did not trust him. I woke up in boxers, socks and a T-shirt, everything just did not line up.’ Cursiter was a former deputy commander of the nuclear-armed sub HMS Vanguard (pictured) At first Cursiter prevented him from leaving the room when he tried to leave, holding him by his hand and telling him: ‘You're off work today.’ But when he did leave the room, the younger man said his head only cleared as he got out into the parade square and he suspected he had been given drugs, which was later confirmed in toxicology tests. The complainant told the court of his fears about being drummed out of the Navy if drugs were found in his system. He said: ‘I knew if he had given it to me in a drink it would be in my system, but I have no memory of how it would have happened. ‘The Navy was my first option, my second and last option, it was all I had thought about since I was a child. I have never taken drugs in my life.’ After the matter was reported to the military police, Cursiter was arrested and a packet containing the remnants of cocaine were found in his coat pocket. His DNA was also found in his alleged victim's underwear. A cleaner in the junior ratings mess at HMS Drake encountered the young submariner in a kitchen after he'd left Cursiter's quarters. In a statement, Kerry White said: ‘He looked really rough, he walked over and slumped in a chair. He was completely zoned out as if he was processing something in his head. ‘His eyes were streaming and red raw. He said: “I think I have been raped.” He kept saying: “He would not let me go.” ‘He was repeating: “I don't know what happened, I don't know what happened” and said: “I'm meant to be a man.” ‘He was crying about his girlfriend and said several times: “I am not gay.” Cursiter, who denied all six offences, was given bail until his sentencing. No comments have so far been submitted. 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