Angry army captain who kicked Sandhurst cadet fined £600 by court-martial

A HIGHLY respected Army instructor kicked a Sandhurst cadet who kept making mistakes, a court-martial heard.

Captain Ruth Cork, 35, lost her temper, then kicked at the kneeling trainee and said: “Get a grip on it.”

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Officer cadet Charles MacAllister did not report the incident, thinking it was part of the Army.

But Capt Cork was court-martialed and fined £600.

In March 2021, she led a field exercise for recruits after 12 weeks of training, with OC MacAllister serving as platoon leader.

But he kept making mistakes when delivering radio messages.

The court heard OC MacAllister “got on both knees asking her for advice” but “the more wrong he got, the angrier Capt Cork got”.

She paced, then told him “come on” and kicked him.

Prosecutor Cmdr Peter Barker told Bulford Military Court, Wilts: “Witnesses describe seeing the cadet wiggle and being shocked and angry, but no one addressed it. Capt Cork has not apologized.”

A social worker later reported the incident.

Capt Cork told investigators she couldn’t remember the kick.

The court heard that cadets took offense at their style and that relations were strained.

Defense attorney Matthew Simpson said Capt Cork is now remorseful over the “unique” incident – an “overzealous attempt to step up training”.

He said no one was hurt and Capt Cork was under stress from a family tragedy and the pandemic.

She admitted the crime on the first day of her trial.

Judge Advocate General Darren Reed fined them, saying: “Training trainees is an exam job and requires a level of robustness not found in the civilian world.

“However, those exposed to this environment deserve respect and dignity. That was an abuse of office.”

Capt Cork, who has medals from Iraq and Syria, was described as “essential” at Sandhurst, Berkshire.

She plans to leave the army next month to become a project manager.