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A former senior electrical technician aboard HMCS Ville de Quebec didn’t listen when a subordinate asked her not to slap his butt and did it a second time.

Now that action is costing her a severe reprimand and a fine of $1,500.

Now retired from the Canadian Armed Forces, Diane Thurber was a petty officer first class on the warship at the time of the 2017 incident, when Ville de Quebec was en route back to Halifax from New York.

According to a statement of the particulars of the case presented to a standing court martial on Tuesday, Thurber came upon the victim, a petty officer second class on the ship, while he was slightly bent over and shredding some documents on Dec. 3, 2017 and slapped him on the buttocks. He objected and told her she couldn’t do that, but two days later, she did it again while he was bent over doing some work in front of his own subordinates and coworkers.

Thurber pleaded guilty to one charge of ill treatment of a person who by reason of rank was subordinate to her.

“I will be happy to have this whole ordeal behind me. I’m sure this will have lasting effects on my career." - Victim's statement to ill treatment court martial

Military prosecutors Maj. Patrice Germain and navy Lt. Jordan Premo withdrew a second charge of the same offence.

Neither the Crown nor defence counsel Maj. Benoit Tremblay called any witnesses to testify but the court did hear a victim impact statement from the man who was slapped.

Due to the nature of the offence, he is identified only by the initials B.T.

“Today marks the end of a significantly long ordeal for me,” he told the court. “This has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do.

“While this was going on, I was slowly sinking into a depression. It was demoralizing to be treated this way, knowing some of my subordinates were witness to all of that. The specific events and the circumstances that led to them made me lose all of the enjoyment I had felt when I was first posted to the HMCS Ville de Quebec.”

B.T. said anxiety attacks and the depression got worse and he found himself thinking suicidal thoughts. His nine-year relationship broke down.

He has obtained professional medical help and treatment with medication.

“I will be happy to have this whole ordeal behind me. I’m sure this will have lasting effects on my career,” he said.

Military judge Cmdr. Catherine Julie Deschenes imposed the sentence, accepting the joint recommendation from both the Crown and defence.

Among the aggravating factors Premo submitted for the court’s consideration was the fact Thurber had undergone training as a harassment advisor and briefings on Operation Honour, the wide-ranging initiative within the Canadian Armed Forces to eliminate sexual offences in the military.

The fact she pleaded guilty and took responsibility for her actions was among the mitigating factors.

After the trial, Germain said he was satisfied that the judge accepted the joint recommendation.

“This case goes to show, especially in light of the victim impact statement that was provided by the victim in this case, it goes to show how the behaviour of one person can have a substantial effect on the section for a long time,” Germain said. “And destroy trust within sections, within units, and make the pleasure of working, which we should try for, hard to obtain or completely destroy.”

Germain said when he’s writing the particulars of a charge, what can often look trivial becomes much more clear when the circumstances surrounding the offence provide context about the seriousness of the matter.

Thurber, who had served in the armed forces for more than 22 years, retired from the military last November and now works with a civilian company.