Retired Riverland police officer avoids facing court in person on child-sex charge

A retired senior Riverland police officer has avoided facing court in person on a child-sex charge after a last-minute application from his lawyer.

The retired senior Riverland police officer has faced court on a child-sex charge. Picture: Supplied

A retired senior Riverland police officer has avoided facing court in person on a child-sex charge after a last-minute application from his lawyer meant he could appear over the phone instead.

The former cop, 71, whose identity is the subject of a suppression order, was scheduled to face the Berri Magistrates Court on Monday but instead appeared over the phone in what the police prosecutor described as “highly unusual”.

Special Crimes Investigations Section detectives arrested the retired officer, who has been heavily involved in a local sporting organisation for decades, on June 29 and charged him with communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity.

The former officer has held a number of senior roles at the sporting club.

The sporting club declined to comment on the former officer’s arrest as the matter was before the courts.

It is understood, however, that he was stood down from his role at the club after it was made aware of the charge.

The retired senior Riverland police officer has faced court on a child-sex charge. Picture: Supplied

The former police officer held a number of senior roles at a Riverland sporting club.

The offending allegedly occurred in a Riverland town between May 15 and June 5 last year.

In the Berri Magistrates Court on Monday, police prosecutor Hugh Bampton said it was “highly unusual” for the former officer to appear via phone rather than in person.

“It’s somewhat unusual for a defendant on bail to appear by telephone from somewhere else without prior permission from the court,” Mr Bampton said.

“In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t consider this bail being met appearing by telephone without permission from the court from a different jurisdiction. It’s highly unusual.”

Court documents allege the retired officer “made a communication with the intention of procuring a child under the age of 17 years, to engage in, or submit to, sexual activity”.

Russell Cole, for the retired officer, said an application to appear via audio link had been approved just five days before the former cop was due to face the Berri Magistrates Court.

Mr Bampton said the charges against the former officer involved communications “of a sexual nature between the defendant and a youth”, which “extended over a period of time with multiple platforms, communications platforms, servers”.

“There will be, we suspect, a reasonably large volume of electronic material that will need to be disclosed to defence,” Mr Bampton said.

Mr Cole argued for the retired officer’s name and image to be suppressed on the grounds his identity being published would impact his son’s employment and “cause unnecessary hardship” and that the accused’s wife still resided in the town where the alleged offending took place.

“She is suffering greatly over this and if his name is published then it’s going to have a detrimental affect on her,” Mr Cole said.

Magistrate Melanie Burton granted an interim suppression order until Wednesday, when the order will be reassessed, with the former officer again permitted to avoid facing court in person and or via video link and can appear via phone.

There was no answer at the former officer’s home. Security blinds were lowered over the windows after The Advertiser knocked on the front door.