David Brogden, Ryan Dare: NSW Police officers guilty of crimes
Our police are rightly regarded as heroes. However, there are some who break the laws they are sworn to enforce. We reveal the ten cops who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Central Sydney
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Each day, hundreds of police officers across the state bravely put their lives on the line and patrol the streets, trusted to enforce the law and keep the community safe.
The men and women in blue often dedicate their lives to the job, rushing into dangerous situations without hesitation.
However, like any organisation, some struggle to follow the laws they are employed to enforce.
Here are ten cops from the last 12 months who have faced the music before the courts.
DANIEL TURNER – HORNSBY MALL ATTACKER
An off-duty policeman attacked four young cyclists pedalling through Hornsby Mall in a bizarre and unprovoked attack, with his antics leaving a 11-year-old boy with a broken arm.
Daniel Geoffrey Turner, who at the time had been a serving police officer for two decades and held the rank of leading senior constable, slapped and punched the victims who were about to buy some lunch.
The court heard Turner did not break stride after he shoved an 11-year-old off his bike and did not once check on the welfare of the victim. The boy was later revealed to have broken his arm.
The father, aged in his mid-40s, was sentenced on assault charges to a 15-month community corrections order.
DENNIS HOYN – SHARING POLICE INTEL WITH DEALER
Former highway patrol officer Dennis Hoyn was found guilty by a jury of unlawfully accessing and passing on confidential police information to his mates.
One of the people the Campbelltown cop had supplied information to was a convicted drug dealer he met at a pub.
During the trial, the Crown dubbed Hoyn a ‘lone ranger’, telling the jury he illegally accessed the police force’s Computer Operational System (COPS) on several occasions between February and December 2018.
He was sentenced to a 14 month jail sentence, to be served in the community by way of intensive corrections order.
MATTHEW PRICE – ILLEGALLY SEARCHED UP ‘HOT DRIVER’
A probationary cop accessed a restricted police computer system to look up a “hot” woman he had met while on the job, a court heard.
Matthew Price, aged in his early 20s, and his senior constable partner pulled over a speeding car in Edensor Park.
A woman pulled up behind the police officer’s car to use her mobile phone to locate her friend’s house when Price walked over and introduced himself. In the conversation he told the woman she was “cute” and asked “what are you doing later?”
The next night, after exchanging texts with the woman, he illegally searched her on the force’s computer system.
He was convicted for accessing restricted data held in computer and placed on an 18 month community corrections order.
In an unrelated incident, he was also convicted of assault after he touched a sleeping colleague’s bare upper leg on the bus home from a police Christmas party.
KATHRYN GODDARD, PAUL MACDONALD – TAX FRAUDSTERS
Two Hunter police officers defrauded the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) of more than $26,000 by claiming “false and inflated” amounts in their tax returns.
Highway patrol officer Paul Hunter MacDonald and his partner, general duties officer Kathryn Maree Goddard, doubled down on their crime when the ATO came asking questions by producing a large amount of false documents.
The court heard Goddard was a former accountant.
The couple were convicted of receiving financial advantage from Commonwealth entity and producing false and misleading documents. They were sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond.
VAUGHAN HILDEBRAND – RAPE AND EXTORTION
A vile ex-policeman sexually abused and menaced more than a dozen women including vulnerable teens, fellow police officers, friends and girlfriends across a sickening 11-year campaign of sexual abuse and extortion.
Vaughn Mark Hildebrand committed some of the crimes as a serving police officer, with some of the 15 victims including his colleagues.
He was convicted of sexual intercourse without consent, use a carriage service to menace and solicit child abuse material.
JAMES CROSS: ARREST ASSAULT
An officer whacked a man’s face with a police radio, unleashed an unnecessary capsicum spray squirt and placed his foot on the restrained man’s bloody jaw in an exuberant arrest.
Constable James Cross, 29, pleaded guilty to his illegal actions when arresting wanted man Daniel McPherson.
Court documents state the former policeman McPherson had previously threatened to steal a police gun and murder a police officer, before turning the weapon on himself. A statewide alert was issued all serving police officers.
Cross arrived as back up during an arrest in Zetland where he committed the assault on the wanted man.
Cross will be sentenced for assault in May.
DINO JUKLEN – WIELDED GUN, TASER AT COLLEAGUE
A man who dreamt of joining the police force threw it all away when he pulled out his gun and pointed it at a junior colleague.
Dino Juklen was told “that’s not funny, don’t do it again”. The next night the police officer, aged in his 20s, pointed his gun and taser at the same colleague sitting at the front desk of the police station.
When asked why he did it, court documents stated that he said “it makes me feel confident”.
Juklen resigned from the force after he was charged with police officer neglecting to not carry out any lawful order. He pleaded guilty and was convicted.
WAYNE CHEERS – ASSAULT ON DISABLED TEENAGER
A NSW police officer for 29 years abused his authority when he attacked an intellectually disabled teenager who had spat on him.
Wayne Heath Cheers was the custody manager at Toronto when a teenager – who was a known spitter and had tourettes — was brought in by officers.
When the teen was released from the cells he spat at Cheers, which saw the policeman drag the teen back into the cell.
When Cheers was spat on the chest, he punched the victim in the head.
The police officer was convicted of two counts of common assault and sentenced to a 12-month and 18-month community corrections order on appeal.
DAVID BROGDEN – WEAPONS, FRAUD OFFENCES
The three-decade career of a high-ranking police officer crumbled when seven loaded pistols were found at his western Sydney family home.
Chief inspector David Andrew Brogden, who was the boss of the Wireless Technology Command, had stored the guns, ammo and ballistic vests at his Old Toongabie address.
The trove of deadly arsenal was located when police raided his home following a fraud investigation, after it was suspected he was rorting the force credit card.
Court documents reveal how 33 ‘orders’ were sent from his personal email to his work email, listing the desired items and who it was for.
Brogden would complete an order form in the name of an unsuspecting lower-ranked colleague, and approved the purchase before taking the item home with him.
Brogden pleaded guilty to five counts of possess prohibited weapons without permit, dishonestly obtain property and goods in custody. He will be sentenced later this year.
RYAN DARE – BOOZY ASSAULT ON COLLEAGUE’S GIRLFRIEND
A boozy Sunday session for a group of off-duty police officers ended in tears after an “annoying” cop slid his hand inside the baggy jumper of his “best mate’s” girlfriend.
Ryan Nicholas Dare, 39, was an acting leading senior constable with the Northern Beaches Police Area Command.
Dare began to pester the woman at Manly’s Wharf Hotel by playing with her hair and putting his arm around her, leading to the victim to move seats a number of times.
Shortly after, he walked up behind her and put his hand inside her baggy jumper and touched her ribs for about two to three seconds.
Dare was convicted of common assault and sentenced to a nine-month community corrections order. He has appealed the severity of the sentence.
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