Ex-police officer Troy Cridland found guilty at Lismore of having sex with an underage girl, producing child abuse material

A jury has found a former Northern Rivers police officer guilty of knowingly having sex with a 15-year-old girl after being accused of trying to cover it up with fake evidence at his trial.

Troy Robert William Cridland is on trial for multiple child sexual offences.

A jury has found a former Northern Rivers police officer guilty of knowingly having sex with a 15-year-old girl, after being accused of trying to cover it up with fake evidence at his trial.

After four weeks of trial at Lismore District court, the jury declared Troy Robert William Cridland, 33, guilty of having sexual intercourse with a minor, perverting the course of justice and using the teen for producing child abuse material.

Cridland had sexual intercourse with the teenage girl in a tent in a police station garage and a police car during a number of “sexual encounters” between March and August 2020.

Cridland had a de facto partner at the time of offending.

Former senior constable Troy Cridland. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

The offending occurred in a town west of Lismore while Cridland was a member of the Lismore – Richmond Police command, and the teen cannot be named for legal reasons.

Cridland claimed he first met the girl on Tinder in February 2020, where she lied about being older than 16.

The crown told the jury Cridland had engaged in “calculated deceit”, accusing Cridland of creating fake evidence of a conversation between himself and the teen on Tinder, misleading investigators to cover his tracks and lying to the jury.

The jury found Cridland knew she was underage after the crown accused him of meeting her in his capacity as a police officer when she was 14.

He was found guilty at Lismore District Court of multiple child sex offences.

The jury also found Cridland guilty of using the girl to make child abuse material and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Cridland sent and solicited “nudes” — sexually explicit photos — of the teenage girl through Snapchat.

He also told the teenage girl and her mother to mislead investigators when police became aware of his illegal sexual activity with the teen.

The jury found Cridland not guilty on three charges of sexual intercourse and Judge Jennifer English directed the jury to find Cridland not guilty on a fourth count because there was not enough evidence to convict him.

The jury also found the teen was not under his authority on one occasion.

Cridland was taken into custody ahead of sentencing.