DENVER -- You may not believe what has happened to a male cadet who admitted to Air Force investigators that he sexually assaulted a female classmate in her bed in the middle of the night.

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Hear Story Of What's Happened To Aya And The Cadet Who Admitted To Attacking Her

He was never charged with the crime and was released from the academy under honorable conditions. He is pursuing a career in the military and has never been questioned about the assault. She has suffered depression and fear.

"I just remember waking up in the middle of the night and he was holding me down by the throat licking my face. At first I didn't know who it was. I didn't know what was going on. It was pitch black," Said Aya, a former Air Force Academy cadet. "And at that point he was trying to touch me in other places and he was talking to me, actually. When he was talking to me and he was using that soothing voice and everything, I realized who it was."

Aya, a cadet studying martial arts, luckily had her practice sword next to the bed.

"So many things were happening so fast I couldn't believe it. The next thing I knew I grabbed the sword, put it between my legs and locked myself in a ball. He tried to have his way -- I just stayed in that ball," said Aya.

The attack occurred at the home of her Air Force sponsor, a chaplain who lived on base. He was also the sponsor of the male upperclassman who attacked her and who was staying in another part of the house.

Aya was so afraid she didn't report the incident to Air Force investigators until the next week.

"They had me sitting down with the OSI (Office of Special Investigation) writing out a statement of everything that happened," said Aya.

Unknown to Aya, investigators also interviewed the accused cadet, Maurice Cooper.

7NEWS Investigates obtained a copy of the statement he gave to Air Force investigators, in which he admits beginning the attack while she was sleeping. And as she was awakening, the report said, "Subject asked the victim if she wanted to do something. She told him 'No.' ... Subject noticed her body was tense and also discovered she had placed a (sword) between her legs to stop his advances. Subject viewed this as just another obstacle, not a threat."

Aya said the assault continued for about an hour. Her fear after the sexual assault led to a serious sleeping disorder and her eventual dismissal from the academy for what was called a "personality disorder."

"I really felt that the only way for me to sleep is if I was holding onto something, like my sword, because that was the one thing that protected me. And it just got worse," said Aya.

Cooper was also forced out of the academy, but given a general discharge under honorable conditions. The discharge had nothing to do with the sex assault. He said he was released for a separate incident of drinking which didn't involve Aya.

And today, Cooper is in the Army trying to get to officer candidate school. When 7NEWS reporter John Ferrugia spoke with him, he admitted the attack on Aya never seemed to be a factor in his dismissal.

Cooper: "It was never addressed and I just found that odd, extremely odd."
Ferrugia: "You mean the Air Force never said to you: the reason you are getting out is because you attacked this girl?"
Cooper: "Not at the hearing, no."

Ferrugia: "Has anyone ever asked you about the assault?"
Cooper: "Nope!"
Ferrugia: "So you assumed it's not anywhere on your record?"
Cooper: "That's what I'm thinking. And nobody has ever asked about it while I have been in the Army either. It's never been brought up."

Even though Aya lost her dream of being an Air Force officer, she channeled her energy into her love of archery. She is now one of the top women archers in the world and is preparing for the Olympics.

7NEWS called her to let her know her case was one mentioned by a recent Air Force report and that we had obtained Cooper's statement about the assault.

"When I saw the actual report, I just laid my head down on the desk and cried," Aya said.

Aya's experience has left her emotionally battered but not broken. She has a champion's heart and has persevered. And now she feels vindicated.

"The only thing that I've ever known all these years is that he assaulted me. He admitted to it. He got an honorable discharge and I have lived with that, knowing that it was not right. And to top it off, I got a medical discharge because of a disorder that I got because of his assault," Aya said.

A report by the Air Force General Counsel agrees the case should have been prosecuted. But the issue here is much broader, Ferrugia said. How many other cases are in the academy files where cadets involved in sexual assaults were released for other minor infractions so the academy's reputation could be protected?

And did someone at the Pentagon sign off on this case and others like it? There is no comment from the Air Force tonight. The army is investigating.

And after 7NEWS Investigates contacted Sen. Wayne Allard , those are questions he is now asking. Hear from him and learn more on this story on 7NEWS at 10 p.m.