A judge says the behaviour of a senior navy officer who has been dismissed from the service over a relationship with a female subordinate was deceitful.
A court martial found Commodore Kevin Keat guilty last Friday on five charges of breaching orders, by not disclosing the affair, not ending it, and threatening the woman and her daughter.
On Monday, a panel of three senior military officers and a judge took about two hours to decide on a sentence at the court martial at Trentham Military Camp in Upper Hutt.
It brings to an ignominious end his 37-year career. The 55-year-old has been in the navy since he was 17 and maintains he is innocent.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Chris Hodson said Commodore Keat's behaviour was dishonest and he had expressed no remorse.
"Your own evidence demonstrates the existence of the close personal relationship. You were, in the eyes of the court, deceitful throughout as to the nature, extent and origins of the relationship and what it meant for you."
Lead prosecutor Kate Feltham had earlier told the hearing the commodore should not be imprisoned, but should be dismissed from the navy.
Mrs Feltham said he breached the trust the Defence Force placed in him while in a senior position, and any lesser penalty would not reflect the serious nature of his offending.
Commodore Keat's lawyer, Steve Taylor, told the panel his client's career is otherwise unblemished and he should be allowed to stay until his contract ends in February next year.
Speaking on behalf of the Keat family after the sentence, former colleague Geoff Fox said Commodore Keat maintains his innocence.
"It is often said that just because someone was found not guilty, that does not mean they are innocent.
"Likewise, it may also be said that on occasion that just because a court finds a person guilty does not mean then that the court has arrived at the truth. In this regard, despite the findings of this court, Kevin maintains his innocence."
Mr Fox says Commodore Keat maintains that the affair was a brief fling before he became the woman's superior.
The dismissal will take effect once the appeal period expires in three weeks. The maximum penalty for each charge was two years in prison, and the panel also had the power to demote or dismiss the officer.
Commodore Keat's lawyer, Michael Bott, says his client hasn't decided whether he will appeal.
