Police officer in Maroochydore court for domestic violence threats

A police officer living on the Sunshine Coast will lose his job for committing “disturbing” domestic violence against his ex-wife where he made “terrifying” threats.

A police officer of 30 years was sentenced to six months prison suspended for 12 months for breaching a domestic violence order.

Ongoing “disturbing” domestic violence inflicted upon his ex-wife has landed a police officer in court and without a job.

The 55-year-old father-of-two, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to six months prison suspended for 12 months after he spent 76 days in custody.

The police officer appeared in Maroochydore Magistrates Court via video link where he was resentenced for one count of breaching a domestic violence order and three fresh breaches that he pleaded guilty to.

Police prosecutor David Bradley said that on June 30, 2022, the ex-wife was at home when she saw her ex husband’s car parked outside her house and heard him yelling out to the dog.

He walked up the driveway, hit on the front door and asked where the dog was.

The aggrieved told the defendant where the dog was and he was sent into a rage, saying he was going to hurt her.

“She went to lock the back door and he started to bash on the security screen and said ‘you’re a f--king sl-t … I will hurt you if I get in there’,” Senior Sergeant Bradley told the court.

The defendant later made adverse comments about his ex-wife via email on July 26 to a law clerk who was representing her, including “Tell her to f--k herself” and “She’s a c--t”.

The next day, the 55-year-old was speaking on the phone with an intake officer for the Men’s Choosing Change program on July 27, 2022.

He told the intake officer “If I do not get into the program now I will not be able to stop myself from harming her”, “If I find her, I will kill her”, “I will bash the f--k out of her”.

Defence solicitor Nichale Bool said her client had been a police officer for more than 30 years and had been diagnosed with PTSD as a result.

Ms Bool said the man had been stood down without pay and would lose his job due to the offending.

“He has no interest of returning back to the job and he suffered significant humiliation,” Ms Bool said.

She said her client had been in custody for 76 days where he had been detoxing from his alcohol problem.

“He’s been in protected custody and now he’s been moved into general population and he’s seen a lot of people that he’s put in there and he’s concerned for his safety,” she told the court.

Ms Bool said he had two adult children and would be able to live with his sister away from the Sunshine Coast upon his release from custody.

Convictions were recorded.