A New Zealand soldier has been demoted and publicly named after being convicted of threatening to kill a superior officer and using insulting language.
Acting Corporal Jared Joseph Deal, 31, was sentenced at a court-martial at Linton Military Camp on 26 June to a reprimand and reduction in rank to sapper. Deal had served 12 years in the military. Judge Gerard Winter lifted Deal's interim name suppression at sentencing.
The court-martial convicted Deal of making a death threat and directing insulting language at a captain, but acquitted him of using violence against a superior. The confrontation occurred late on 6 December 2024 after a cocktail party at Waiouru Military Camp, arising from a dispute over an alleged kiss involving Deal's partner and the captain earlier that year.
Judge Winter told Deal he had "lost discipline and became angry" during the confrontation, yelling "I will f...... kill you, c..." at the captain. The judge said threatening a superior officer "is totally unacceptable".
The captain told the court the threat "has had a profound effect on my sense of personal safety" and left him "feeling less secure, more vigilant, and more conscious of potential risks".
Deal represented the Defence Force at three Rugby World Cups and coached the Manawatū sevens side. He commanded a flood-recovery team in Hicks Bay earlier in 2026 that made the area's general store operational.
The court heard Deal had a previous tribunal conviction for assault in Niue in 2022, which the judge and military panel disregarded. Deal also had a conviction for insubordination from a military tribunal. Deal sought counselling for anger management and assessment for alcohol management after the prosecution began.
Defence lawyer Deborah Davies said Deal acknowledged the situation could have been avoided if he had kept walking when he saw the officer. The judge found Deal had not shown remorse for his actions.