A former Air Force servicewoman who was sexually harassed by a sergeant has challenged the High Court’s ruling on her compensation.

Mariya Taylor, who used to serve in the Air Force, was abused by Sergeant Robert Roper at the Whenuapai base in the 1980s. However, she was not able to file for compensation from her abuser or the Air Force until years later.

The High Court acknowledged that the servicewoman was ogled, groped, and locked in a cage by the sergeant but still denied her claim as it had been filed out of time. The judge also explained that Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) laws prevented anyone from suing for damages over injuries that could get an ACC claim for.

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Graeme Little SC, Taylor’s lawyer, told the Court of Appeal that his client only realised to file for compensation when she got in touch with the police in 2014. He insisted that the Air Force should still be held accountable.

“Roper was already serving 13 years and she immediately went to the police … she did the counselling the police provided but only after that she talked to a lawyer and realised there was a prospect of getting something from the Air Force. The effects on her psyche were responsible for her not bringing a claim at an early stage,” Little said, as reported by Stuff.co.nz.

Little said his client felt hopeless and helpless.