Naval strike craft commander Brian Power faces cashiering, the harshest military sentence that can be imposed, after being found guilty of disgraceful conduct by a court martial in Durban this week.

The court martial found Mr Power guilty on the charge of having sex with the wife of one of his crew, and sentenced him to cashiering. This means he is publicly stripped of his rank and escorted from the military base with a dishonourable discharge.

However, the sentence will be automatically reviewed by the Chief of the Navy, the Navy's legal officer and a council of review, before the sentence is carried out.

Navy spokeswoman Commander Lilla du Preez said the allegations against Mr Power had been fully investigated and he was tried in an open court-martial.

Mr Power was charged with contravening the military discipline and naval protocol by spending the night with the wife of one of his crew, Leading Seaman Brendan Edwards.

Mr Power denied ever having sex with the woman after a night out with her at the Red Dog Saloon. During evidence, the woman, Mrs Luanne Edwards, gave details about the sexual encounter.

The president of the court martial said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and had no alternative but to sentence Mr Power to cashiering.

-- Sapa

With acknowledgement to Sapa and Dispatch Online.