Victim reveals hidden evil of ‘hero’ Gold Coast cop Ross Kouimanis

He was a respected highway cop, a familiar face on the Gold Coast for decades. But he hid a terrible secret, one finally exposed years later after a chilling phone call. Now his victim has told his story.

Former Gold Coast police officer Senior Constable Ross Kouimanis was found guilty by a Beenleigh District Court jury on 17 charges, including maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under the age of 12, indecent treatment of a child, assault occasioning bodily harm, and rape.

Hands cold and shaking, William waited for his call to be answered.

And when the voice of Ross Kouimanis came on the line, the voice of a man once lauded for his role as a Gold Coast police officer, it was all William could do just to keep breathing.

“It felt like the walls were closing in and the air was getting sucked out of the room, but I kept going,” said William, who cannot use his real name for legal reasons.

“I had to do it for me, for who I was and who I will never be because of him.”

William is a survivor. Kouimanis was his abuser.

Last November, Kouimanis, a respected highway cop who retired as a senior constable 17 years ago, was found guilty by a Beenleigh District Court jury on 17 charges, including maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under the age of 12, indecent treatment of a child, assault occasioning bodily harm, and rape.

This month, Kouimanis was jailed for eight years for the protracted offending against the child, which took place at a Gold Coast property where court documents said he showed the child pornography and inappropriately touched him for several years.

That child was William, who managed to put his trust in police to make that 18-minute undercover phone call that helped secure the conviction against Kouimanis.

“I had a choice, I didn’t have to do it but I knew it would really help the case,” he said.

“I did some pretty intense therapy sessions in the lead up to it but those 18 minutes felt like two hours. That was the first time I had spoken to him in years.

“When he hung up, the phone just fell out of my hands. The detective came in and stopped the recording and did all the formality stuff, and I just remember being on the ground, shaking.”

Senior Constable Ross Kouimanis at Coomera in 1999. Picture: David Sproule.

William’s journey towards justice began two years ago, decades after the abuse, decades of trying and failing to bury the trauma and shame.

He was scrolling through social media on his phone when a story came up about the then-recent death of George Pell, the late Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church who faced recurring accusations of sexual abuse, although his eventual sexual abuse conviction was quashed on appeal to the High Court of Australia.

Immediately triggering feelings of rage and anger, William returned to work and waited for the emotions to subside. But this time, they didn’t.

“On the Monday, I rang my best friend, she was one of the first people I told about my story more than 20 years ago, and I just said: ‘I’m ready’.

“She knew exactly what I meant. By the Wednesday, I was trying to fill out my complaint online and it was just too much so I ended up calling a friend of mine’s husband, who is a detective, and I gave him this story that I’ve got a friend that had this stuff happen to them growing up and they want to come forward and they’re a little bit reluctant because the perpetrator was a cop.

“And he was saying, ‘Can you give me your friend’s name and number? I’ll take care of them for you, I promise you that they’re in good hands’.

“And I was like, ‘It’s me. There’s no friend, it’s me’.

“It was the first time I told someone who could do something and he was so great. He made sure I was okay and then he said to leave it with him, and that’s when the investigation all started.”

Ross Kouimanis retired from the Queensland Police Service in 2012.

William said Kouimanis’s community reputation added to the difficulty in coming forward, as he wondered if he would be believed.

After retiring from the Queensland Police Service at age 60, Kouimanis was employed in 2012 as a driver by the Queensland government, acting as chauffeur for Gold Coast-based minister Ros Bates for about 11 months.

In 2013, Ms Bates addressed state parliament to thank Kouimanis for his “wonderful work” in helping to curb hooning in her electorate.

Ms Bates said she had no knowledge of Kouimanis’s offending, which occurred many years before he was her driver, until he faced court and she was “sickened to the core”.

For William, he said it was a relief to see Kouimanis identified, and that the shame was for the ex-cop to carry.

“It’s not easy for anyone to come forward, let alone when the perpetrator was a cop, it’s why I don’t understand people who question the victim. Why would anyone choose to blow up their life like this?

“The abuse started when I was very young but the grooming was constant. I still felt that it wasn’t right but I had no perspective. And then you see your abuser treated as a great guy by society, it’s very confusing.

“The last time I was abused I was older and there had been a gap, and that’s when I really knew that this was very, very wrong.

“I spent 20 years living with the shame, knowing it was wrong but wondering if somehow it was my fault?

“But I was a child and he was an adult, his job was literally to keep the community safe yet he was a criminal. The shame is all on him, It’s not mine anymore.”

Ross Kouimanis with Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates, who said she was “sickened to the core” when she learned of his offending.

William said telling his story had helped him become stronger and he hoped it would inspire someone else to come forward.

He said delivering his Victim Impact Statement in court, delivering it to Kouimanis’s face, had also been a moment of catharsis for him.

And William deserves that comfort, because the statement he gave in court showed just how dark his life has been because of the abuse.

“The abuse I suffered has shaped so many parts of my life, leaving scars that run deeper than anyone could see. The trauma of what happened has affected me in ways I am still trying to understand and heal from,” his statement said.

“I still suffer daily. The flashbacks, the constant sense of dread and hyper-vigilance – they are part of my daily existence.

“I am often trapped in my own mind, unable to escape the overwhelming sense of fear and powerlessness that was instilled in me for years.

“I feel as though a part of me is broken, and I’m learning how to rebuild from the wreckage. I feel as if I have been judged for something I had no control over, and that shame has made me feel unworthy of the love and support that others are able to give and receive.

“I am working every day to heal, but it is a long and painful process. It has cost me more than anyone can truly understand, and it continues to impact me, even as I try to rebuild and find some sense of normality again.”

Kouimanis was sentenced to eight years in prison.

While Kouimanis was sentenced to eight years in prison, he will be eligible for parole after 50 per cent of the sentence has been served.

He was also expected to lodge an appeal against his convictions.

William said he was bracing himself for the next round in the legal system, a system that had at least granted him a degree of justice so far, but he was also focused on trying to help others, particularly through involvement with Bravehearts.

“I spoke to Bravehearts after his initial arrest and I would love to help them moving forward,” he said.

“I could see my role as bringing attention to the issue of child sexual abuse, encouraging and helping others to come forward but also working towards change within the justice system.

“Given this was a historical case, I’m relieved we got a guilty result on all charges, and that he received a relatively strong sentence, but to me it should be so much more for what he did

“But I’m really proud of how strong I’ve been, I’ve surprised myself in a lot of ways, and I want to set that example for others.

“To come forward, to tell your story, it’s scary, but it’s liberating. It’s not your shame and not your guilt, you’ve done nothing wrong.

“Trust your gut, always.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Bravehearts Ball on Saturday 31st May, at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. More information and tickets here: https://fundraise.bravehearts.org.au/event/braveheartsball25

Originally published as Victim reveals hidden evil of ‘hero’ Gold Coast cop Ross Kouimanis