Soldier who sexually 'hogtied' a woman and showed mates a video of her performing oral sex on him while watching The Wolf of Wall Street is sacked - but avoids jail

 

• Cody Pratt filmed the sexual footage while he watched The Wolf on Wall Street
• The 23-year-old assured the woman he had deleted the photographs and videos
• A month later, he showed a photo of her 'hogtied' to a friend at Crown Casino 
• He was convicted of six counts of distributing an intimate image with no consent

A soldier who sexually 'hogtied' a woman and showed his friends a video of her performing oral sex on him has been fired from the military.

Cody Pratt, from Brisbane, took the pornographic footage while he watched Leonardo DiCaprio film The Wolf on Wall Street - a movie about an adulterous white collar criminal.

The 23-year-old was convicted of six counts of distributing an intimate image without consent at a hearing in Canberra on Wednesday.

He was sacked from the Australian Defence Force but narrowly avoided jail time after pleading guilty to the charges.

Defence Force Magistrate Brigadier Michael Cowen QC said the former lieutenant's behaviour worsened over time, peaking at a drinking session in November 2019.

At Crown Casino in Melbourne, Pratt showed another officer Lieutenant Cameron Gibbs a photo of the woman 'hogtied' - with her wrists and ankles tied together.

A month earlier, Pratt had sent the woman a message assuring her the footage had been erased.

'Everything has been deleted. You have my word. I'm sorry.' 

Mr Cowen described Pratt's actions as 'self-aggrandisement' and accused him of trying to 'improve your standing with your colleagues'.

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Cody Pratt took the pornographic footage while he watched Leonardo DiCaprio film The Wolf on Wall Street (pictured) - a movie about an adulterous white collar criminal

'They have seen things which cannot be unseen,' he said. 

The court heard the victim was humiliated and felt as though she was treated like a piece of meat. 

Had the footage been sent to people other than Pratt's friends, Mr Cowen said he likely would have wound up in jail.

Pratt said in a letter to the court that he was sorry for his actions, but the magistrate pointed out that he only started feeling apologetic when he was caught. 

Mr Cowen said the dishonorable discharge from the army will likely make it difficult for him to obtain work as a civilian.

While the decision will be reviewed by a judge, which is mandatory in such cases, he will be suspended from the army until then.