A TILBURY firefighter was indecently assaulted with a frozen sausage by colleagues, a court has been told.
Crew members of "Green Watch" at Tilbury station were subjected to degrading "initiations" and "pranks" during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Basildon Crown Court heard.
Anthony Benham, 50, of Stanford-le Hope, and Ian Maguire, 55, of Benfleet, deny indecent assault.
They also deny 10 counts of false imprisonment between 1988 and 1997.
One firefighter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described to the jury how several of his colleagues assaulted him with a frozen sausage.
Two former officers are accused of indecent assault during the "intimidatory culture" at Tilbury station.
"My hands and feet were held to prevent me from kicking and lashing out," he added.
He told the jury he thought it was "intended to humiliate and knock you down a little bit".
"It was just another little prank that I put down to experience," he added.
In another incident he was left tied to a ladder outdoors in winter, naked and soaked in freezing water.
He said: "There was an atmosphere of excitement, people were jeering and shouting.
"It was quite apparent they were having a great time stitching someone up.
"I didn’t want them to do it. I would have been hitting out verbally, but it didn’t do any good."
The witness said it was "degrading" and that members of the public could have seen him while he was naked.
He also detailed an incident in the airlock, where he claimed he was locked in the room and urinated upon from above.
"It was a very unpleasant environment to work in – intimidating, demoralising – and it ground me down," he added.
However, despite being pressed, the witness could not identify individuals in the group.
The trial continues.
