Army culture trains people to 'keep their mouths shut', judge fears The girl withdrew her report until Detective Constable Angie Elvin, of Humberside Police, warned staff they would be perverting the course of justice if they failed to allow the girl to continue the case. Five students refused to give evidence against Williams, from Beverley, East Yorks. He has now been found guilty of sexual assault, after the female victim told the court she felt "humiliated and degraded" by the abuse. "If I asked him to stop, it just got worse," she said. I told the staff and they were fairly dismissive and they told me he was being childish. I told them at least twice. I was horrified, I couldn't believe it. He was looking at me as though I was a joke, someone to be mocked. I just wanted to get it stopped and college was not doing much, so I decided to go to the police. Following the trial, a senior judge warned he was worried that lessons had not been learnt from the Deepcut Barracks scandal, where four soldiers committed suicide at the army base between 1995 and 2002 as reports were made of systematic bullying from senior officers. Judge Michael Mettyear said: "There was a chilling moment when she [the victim] mentioned Deepcut and we know what's gone on there with people withholding information and suicides. I'm worried if there is something in the culture of the Army and people training in the Army to keep their mouths shut. I'm really concerned about five students declining to give statements. It looks as though it has been directed by someone. I don't want to blame them because what we have found in the case with this girl is someone in there actually telling them it might interfere with their careers, and it's hardly surprising. I'm worried about the wider implications with all the problems at Deepcut. Police officers have now been sent into the college every month to speak to new recruits about their behaviour in an attempt to tackle the bullying culture. DC Elvin said: "She was poked, prodded, cajoled and called a lesbian. He [Williams] humiliated her in front of her colleagues. It started off as tomfoolery but then it became more of a cultural thing within the organisation. It was institutionalised bullying because it was accepted and no one addressed it. Deferring sentence for reports, Judge Metttyear ordered Williams to sign the sex offenders register for the attack on the girl. However, the judge said he was not expecting to send him to jail. Judge Mettyear said Williams had "learnt a lot of lessons" but expressed concern over his attitude towards women. The judge said: "I'm worried he has an attitude problem with women and maybe some sort of help is needed for him. These are not sexual offences for sexual gratification - this was bullying and the desire to get attention. The QPD College is run by former soldiers but is accredited by Hull City Council, which suspended its permission to enrol students until it took steps to address safeguarding issues by working with the police. Gary Parkinson, assistant head of service for 14 to 19 team and skills at the city council, said: "Hull City Council is unable to comment on the individual case. However we are satisfied that the training provider has reviewed and improved their safeguarding procedures.