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Woman ‘humiliated’ during exam, court martial hears

A former military medical technician left women feeling uncomfortable and even “humiliated” after he touched or looked at their breasts during physical examinations, a court martial heard Thursday.

GATINEAU, Que. — A former military medical technician left women feeling uncomfortable and even “humiliated” after he touched or looked at their breasts during physical examinations, a court martial heard Thursday.

The second day of a court martial for James Wilks, a petty officer second class who is now retired, featured the testimony of several women who described similar experiences of having their breasts and nipples fondled during exams.

Their identities are protected under a publication ban.

One of the women said Wilks ordered her to expose her breasts so he could touch them during a physical exam.

She said he spent a minute or two touching her breasts before ordering her to pull up her hospital gown and get off the examination table.

The woman choked up several times and dabbed her eyes with tissues as she spoke.

She described how Wilks then told her to bend over and touch her toes while she was wearing only the gown and her underwear.

She said he ordered her to keep her hands on her toes when she tried to keep her loose-fitting underpants from slipping. Wilks pulled up her underpants and held her gown as she was bent over, the court martial heard.

“I was humiliated,” she said.

She told the court martial Wilks was “very firm” and didn’t give her the impression a breast exam was optional. She described him as “intimidating.”

A female chaperon was in the room when the examination began, but left with the woman’s consent.

Maj. David Hodson, who is representing Wilks, accused the witness of fabricating the episode.

Wilks faces 26 sexual assault and breach of trust charges involving 16 women over a six-year span.

The charges allege inappropriate medical exams at Ontario military recruitment sites in Thunder Bay and London from 2003 to 2009.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Another woman told the court martial Wilks told her to change into a T-shirt and shorts. She said she was told to keep her underwear on but to remove her bra.

She said Wilks asked her to lie back on an examination table. She was not asked to remove her shorts or shirt. The woman said Wilks conducted a breast exam over her T-shirt.

“The reason why it stuck with me is because his touch was so different, and it was unlike any breast examination I’ve ever received,” she said.

“There was no way he could have been feeling for lumps or any abnormalities in my chest, because he did not cover my chest, he would play with my nipples.”

The whole time, Wilks kept repeating “I must do this. It’s part of the medical examination,” she said.

Another woman told the court martial that Wilks had her change into a hospital gown wearing only her underwear and bra underneath. She said he kept staring between her legs while he examined her joints.

“It felt really uncomfortable,” she said.

The woman also said Wilks told her to bend over and touch her toes while she wore only her undergarments and a hospital gown, which was open at the back, as he stood behind her and watched.

The court martial is expected to take three weeks.

Wilks also faces separate civil lawsuits that claim the military didn’t act on reports about his alleged conduct.

Three women filed statements of claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice alleging that Wilks sexually assaulted them during physical exams for recruits at National Defence installations in Ontario.

A fourth woman last year filed a similar civil claim against Wilks.