OTTAWA, June 25 -- A Canadian navy submarine commander who has asked a federal court to overturn his conviction by a military court of abusing his men has been told he must wait for the court's verdict. The three-day court hearing of Dean Marsaw ended today with Ottawa court officials saying, 'The judges have reserved their decision.'
Marsaw took his case to the the Federal Court of Appeal, claiming a military court had wrongfully convicted him in 1995 on charges of abusing men under his command. The submarine commander had been dismissed from the navy and then re- instated after a 30-day hunger strike. Before the court martial, Marsaw had a reputation as an exemplary officer and a tough naval commander who often was given difficult missions. Marsaw's fall from grace began when military police started an investigation following a tip that he was allegedly abusing crew members, both physically and verbally. Marsaw was charged with seven counts of abuse, including one of inserting a cigar butt into the buttocks of a Royal Navy exchange officer. Marsaw has challenged the way the military police conducted the investigation. The court did not indicate when it will hand down its ruling. ---
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