Matthew Price: Fairfield cop slept with woman after looking her up

A cop used a restricted police computer system to look up details of a ‘hot’ driver he had encountered on a job. Before long they were texting and later slept together.

A probationary cop accessed a restricted police computer system to looked up a “hot” woman he had met while on the job, a court heard.

Matthew Aaron Price, now 24, was looking up the details of the sister of a man with whom Fairfield Police Area Command had previous dealings.

This despite the young cop being cautioned to “stay away from her”.

Price appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday charged with accessing restricted data held in the police computer system and an unrelated charge of common assault against a female police colleague after the Fairfield Police Christmas Party.

The court heard Price, who has since resigned from the force, was on the Dean’s List for his police studies and had a very “promising career” ahead of him.

On October 2, 2018, Price and his Senior Constable partner had pulled over a speeding car in Edensor Park.

A woman in a Toyota Corolla soon pulled up behind them and Price went to see what she was doing.

Price introduced himself as “Matt” and asked her if everything was OK.

She said she was looking for a friend’s house and had pulled over so she could use her mobile phone.

They kept talking and Price told her she was “cute” and asked “what are you doing later? Take my number down”, according to court documents.

She then sent him a text message, the facts state.

Matthew Aaron Price. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

When he got back into the car he told the Senior Constable that the driver was “hot” and that he had got “her number”.

The Senior Constable replied that she was more than likely related to a man they had previous dealings with and said he “he should stay away from her”, the facts read.

She sent him four more text messages that morning saying “your cute” [SIC] and suggesting they meet.

On his night shift on October 3, Price then accessed the COPS computer system – which he had access to – at Cabramatta Police Station and “conducted a search” of the woman, court documents state.

The court heard that when you log in to the COPS system, a warning states: “Data on the system must NOT be disclosed to unauthorised persons and you are NOT authorised to access it for personal … reasons”.

The warning adds that “unlawful use of personal information” can result in two years prison or a $50,000 fine.

The system prompted Price to enter a reason for the search, and he falsely wrote that the woman had been associating with a high risk repeat offender.

This entry was later found during a police audit.

Price and the woman continued to text, including messages of a sexual nature, and send Snapchats to each other.

This lasted for around six months and they sex once in late October 2019, the police facts state.

In court on Wednesday, the police prosecution said it was a “breach of trust” most likely driven by his sexual interest in the woman and wanting to find out more about her.

The prosecution said he was likely in an “inappropriate relationship” with the woman, although he was not charged for that.

His lawyer Linda Barnes said he “didn’t go hunting around” for information and there was “no evidence of anything malicious” in terms of the access he gained.

In an unrelated incident about two months later, Price grabbed a colleague following the Fairfield PAC Christmas Party at the Novotel Hotel in Wollongong.

On a bus ride back from the hotel he grabbed the co-worker’s hand, touched her leg with his leg and touched her bare upper leg with his hand while she was sleeping, court documents read.

Other police officers on the bus told an intoxicated Price to “stop” and “leave her alone” numerous times.

Price had hit on the woman throughout the night but “she made it clear she only wanted to be friends”, the police facts state.

His lawyer Linda Barnes said he was “an immature man who did two stupid things” over a short space of time, and the offending can be put down to “straight stupidity”.

Price is now retraining to be a teacher and working in gardening.

He pleaded guilty to access restricted data held in computer and common assault, was convicted for both charges and sentenced to an 18-month and 12-month Community Corrections Order.