西澳大利亚电力公司Western Power已对三名员工进行停职处理，这些员工曾在法庭上为被控性暴力的同事Jeffrey Spinner提供品格证明。[1]Spinner于2024年4月因四项非自愿性行为罪被定罪，被判处5年监禁。[1]在量刑庭审中，五名Western Power同事为Spinner出庭作证，其中三人目前仍在该公司任职，已被停职。[1]
法官Gary Massey在量刑时指出，这些品格证明声称强奸行为与Spinner的品格不符。[1]西澳能源部长Amber Jade Sanderson将此评价为"可怕的判断失误"。[1]Western Power首席执行官Gair Landsborough表示公司已启动对安全和文化计划的全面审查，同时进行内部调查。[1]
Western Power, Australia's state-owned electricity utility in Western Australia, has suspended three employees who provided character testimony in support of a colleague convicted of sexual assault.[1] Jeffrey Spinner was found guilty in April 2024 of four counts of non-consensual sexual conduct against a female coworker and was sentenced to five years imprisonment.[1] Five Western Power employees offered character references during Spinner's sentencing hearing; three of those who remain employed by the company have now been stood down.[1]
The suspensions follow a court finding that the character references were fundamentally at odds with the facts of the case. Judge Gary Massey noted during sentencing that the testimonies contradicted the nature of Spinner's offenses.[1] Western Power Chief Executive Gair Landsborough announced the company has launched a comprehensive review of its safety and culture programs in response to the incident.[1] Western Australia's Energy Minister Amber Jade Sanderson described the employees' decision to provide character support as "appalling misjudgment."[1]