Chapter 1: an Armed Guard for Danny

‘Good afternoon, sir,’ Danny said. He explained who he was and about his counselling. ‘I have just counselled one of your young airmen who has been raped several times by someone of a higher rank.’ he told him. ‘I don’t want to discuss it on the phone, but I believe the person concerned is doing it regularly. I also suspect to an unknown number of others too.’

‘Very well,’ the Wing Commander said, ‘Can you come now?’ ‘I’m sorry
sir, no. I’m still at school.’ ‘How old are you?’ the Wing Commander asked. ‘Seventeen, sir.’ Danny replied. ‘Do you have transport?’ he asked. ‘Only a push bike,’ Danny said, ‘If I leave straight from school, I can be with you by five thirty.’

‘I’ll send a car for you,’ the Wing Commander said, ‘But this better be genuine.’ ‘I can assure you it is,’ Danny said. ‘If I’m to keep this quiet it would be better if I’m not seen being picked up. Can I meet your car in the car park of Tesco’s near the school.’ He gave him the address.

‘How will the driver know you?’ he asked. ‘I’ll stand by the recycle bins Danny told him, ‘I’ll be in school uniform.’

Danny next texted Lewis to see if he could borrow his radio alarm. ‘I’ll pick it up from the shop.’ he said. He got an ok back almost immediately.

As soon as he came out of school, Danny cycled along to Tesco’s and locked his bike in the cycle park. Walking over to the recycle bins, he stood a few feet to the side.

A few seconds later a car pulled up alongside him. The window came down and the driver asked, ‘Danny?’ ‘Yes,’ Danny said. He had no qualms about getting into the car as the driver was in air force uniform.

‘We just need to pick something up for the Wing Commander,’ Danny told him giving him the shops post code. He hadn’t been told about that but the driver decided that as this young lad was important enough for the Winco to send a car for him, it must be ok.

They pulled up outside the video hire shop. ‘I won’t be a sec,’ Danny said getting out. He had rung Uncle Mike earlier. Mike had the radio in a bag behind the counter ready.

Seeing Danny coming in, he held it up and passed it over. ‘Thanks uncle Mike,’ he said taking the bag. ‘Sorry I can’t stop, see you soon.’ There were no customers in the shop at the time, so Mike went over and looked out through the door. Seeing Danny hopping into the passenger seat of a car with an RAF roundel on the door and a uniformed driver, he wondered what on earth he was up to now.

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the base. Seeing the Winco’s car, the guards gave a quick glance inside and waved them through. It was the first time Danny had ever seen a real gun close up.

The car pulled up at one of the buildings. Lee, the driver, got out and escorted him inside and up the stairs. Stopping outside a door labelled Wing Commander George Bailey, DSO, OBE. he knocked.

Hearing a, ‘Come.’ he opened the door and walked inside. Saluting the man behind the desk he said, ‘Danny to see you sir.’ Stepping aside, he did a smart about turn and left.

As the door closed behind him, The Winco came over and shook hands. ‘Right, young man, let’s hear your story.’ he said indicating the seat in front of his desk. Danny put his bag down carefully on the floor and sat down.

The Winco sat back at the desk and looked at him expectantly. ‘Thank you for seeing me, sir,’ Danny said. ‘A while ago for reasons I won’t bore you with, I discovered that I had the ability to draw peoples most embarrassing worries from them. Then my suggested solutions up to now has solved the problem for them.’

‘As a result, people I have helped in the past now send other people along to see me. That is how I met a young airman from this base a few days ago. He was sent to see me because the pal he was staying with on leave could see he was troubled. But he couldn’t get anything out of him.’

‘I was able to discover that over the last nine weeks he has been raped by a sergeant six times. He only escaped more last week by taking some leave. His plan to avoid more rapes is to leave the RAF, something he loves. I asked him who was in charge of the base. He said you were and although he had never met you personally, the word was that you were strict but fair. So why didn’t you report it? I asked.’

‘It’s frowned on to complain about anyone of a higher rank.’ he told me. ‘Plus, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone what happened. On top of that, how would I prove it, it would be my word against an officer.’ ‘I asked him if he’d spoken to anyone about it apart from me.’ Danny said.

‘No, he told me, but he did ask a fellow airman friend if he had had anything to do with the sergeant concerned. His friend admitted knowing him but wouldn’t say anything else. My victim is under the impression that he has probably suffered the same fate. From my counselling experience, that gives me to believe that there are probably several others too.’

‘My victim does not want to publicly announce that he has been raped. That is a normal reaction of such victims. Nor does he want to bring disgrace on the RAF. But he does want to put a stop to it for the sake of the others and those who will without a shadow of doubt follow in future.’

‘I have promised my victim that I will not reveal his name. At this moment there is no evidence to support what I am telling you. I appreciate you can take no action on my word alone. So, I have come to see you today,’ Danny continued, ‘In the hope that you will deal with it discretely to everyone’s benefit.’

‘As I have had some experience of catching rapists, working with the local police, I can provide you with evidence if you will allow me to do so. That’s all I can tell you.’ Danny finished.

‘Do you know the name of this sergeant?’ the Winco asked. ‘Yes, sir. Danny said. ‘But whilst I have no doubt whatsoever that what I have been told is true, it is hearsay. I wouldn’t want to besmirch someone’s name without proof, when proof is easily obtained.’

The Winco had been impressed with Danny and although he didn’t want to believe his tale, he knew he had to make sure.

‘Supposing I believed it was true,’ he said, ‘How would you get your evidence?’ ‘Am I right in assuming you have Military Police on the base twenty-four hours a day?’ Danny asked? ‘Yes,’ replied the Winco. ‘And that the base has Wi-Fi all over it?’ ‘Yes,’ came the answer.

Danny pulled out his radio alarm. ‘All the rapes I know about for sure took place between eleven thirty and twelve thirty. They occurred in the mess room in the roof of building W334.’ Danny told him.

‘This is a radio alarm which also has a hidden camera which I can link to my computer. Five rapists are in prison because of this piece of equipment. My suggestion is that I put this in position in the mess room.’

‘There’s no way of us knowing when the sergeant concerned is going to be on duty. He has arranged frequent last-minute swops to the rota to put himself on duty with his victim.’

‘So, once in place I would tune in every night between eleven and twelve to make sure a rape wasn’t taking place. The moment I suspected it was going to happen I would ring the MP on the base direct. You would need to give me his phone number.’

‘He would then head over to W334 and await my second call confirming a rape was underway. Then he would burst in and catch him in the act. Oh, one other thing,’ Danny said. ‘Apparently all the doors, bar one, are locked during the night. The sergeant concerned has a portable sensor which alerts him if anyone enters the unlocked door. The MP would need a key to one of the other doors.’

The Winco considered for moment. He didn’t like the idea of a civilian having access to a camera inside the base, but it did seem a simple solution to the problem. ‘I’m inclined to agree,’ he said, ‘But for my sake, is there anyone who could vouch for you?’