Red Arrows pilot is sacked over claims of sex assault: Top gun loses job after scandal
Red Arrows pilot is sacked over claims of sex assault: Top gun is first from world-famous aerobatics squadron to lose job after biggest scandal in its history
- Flight Lieutenant Damon Green has been sacked amid claims of sexual assault
- An initial probe found there was insufficient evidence to justify criminal charges
- The claims against Red Arrows pilots have caused embarrassment for the RAF
- Alleged victims suffered mental health issues, costing some their careers
A Red Arrows pilot has been sacked amid claims of sexual assault.
Flight Lieutenant Damon ‘Damo’ Green is the first ‘Top Gun’ from the world-famous aerobatics team to be dismissed following the biggest scandal in its 60-year history.
More than 40 serving and former Red Arrows personnel – many of them young women – have accused male colleagues of sexual misconduct and bullying.
They also claim that the RAF ‘covered up’ the allegations in a bid to preserve the Red Arrows’ reputation.
An initial military police probe found there was insufficient evidence against Fl Lt Green and others to justify criminal charges. But following pressure from the alleged victims, top brass ordered a non-statutory inquiry.
Evidence and testimony gathered in this second investigation was presented to senior officers and defence ministers on the Air Force Board. They met recently to decide Fl Lt Green’s fate and concluded that he could no longer serve.
Red Arrows Flight Lieutenant Damo Green, pictured, has been sacked amid claims of sexual assault. He is alleged to have had an affair with a female colleague
The future of a second Red Arrows pilot, Flight Lieutenant Will Cambridge, who is alleged to have had an affair with a female colleague, is due to be decided at a forthcoming meeting of the Air Force Board.
Appearing before the Commons defence committee yesterday, Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said: ‘On the Red Arrows case, a non-statutory inquiry has concluded, in terms of interviews, and is being finalised.
‘One case has come to the Air Force Board and that individual will be discharged from the service on the basis of the evidence. A second individual is due to come to the Air Force Board soon, where we will consider the case against that individual and decide on his future.’
Fl Lt Green, from Sheffield, was Red 8 in the team before leaving for what were officially described as ‘personal reasons’ earlier this year. The officer, who is in his late 30s, is understood to be married with at least one child.
He joined the air squadron at the University of Bath as a maths student. He then joined the RAF and flew extensively on operations in the Middle East, earning a prestigious Joint Commander’s Commendation. He applied to join the Red Arrows in 2018.
Like his colleague, Fl Lt Cambridge was a frontline Typhoon pilot before joining the display team in 2019.
The so-called ‘toxic culture’ in the Red Arrows, fuelled by heavy drinking and high jinks on tour, also led to the resignation of a senior pilot, Squadron Leader Nick Critchell. The Red Arrows is pictured marking the 75th Anniversary of VE Day during the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020
An Oxford University modern history graduate, who is in his late 30s, he has described being a Red Arrow as ‘a huge privilege’.
The claims brought against more senior Red Arrows pilots has caused huge embarrassment for the RAF, in particular, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, commander of the service.
Complainants say their bosses pleaded with them not to raise issues against the pilots. Some pilots were alleged to have boasted they were ‘untouchable’.
The so-called ‘toxic culture’ in the Red Arrows, fuelled by heavy drinking and high jinks on tour, also led to the resignation of a senior pilot, Squadron Leader Nick Critchell. He confronted colleagues over their misconduct before quitting the team.
Affairs and widespread allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment also destroyed ‘unit cohesion’, according to insiders. The Red Arrows are shown at the British Grand Prix on 3rd July 2022
The Red Arrows are pictured flying in formation over Buckingham Palace in London as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. The RAF is footing the bill for the healthcare of alleged victims suffering mental health issues
Affairs and widespread allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment also destroyed ‘unit cohesion’, according to insiders.
The alleged victims suffered mental health issues, costing some of them their military careers. The RAF is footing the bill for their healthcare.
An RAF spokesman said: ‘We have a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour. Following allegations of such behaviour within the Red Arrows, we commissioned a thorough and far-reaching investigation to establish the facts and have taken appropriate actions where wrongdoing has been proven.’