Brave victims of former cop speak out at sentencing hearing after he admitted to recording intimate images

Two young women have courageously faced down the former cop who was meant to “be a protector” and revealed the devastating impact his heinous actions had on them after they uncovered a secret camera.

A former cop has faced Campbelltown District Court for a sentencing hearing.

The brave victims of a former police officer who violated the trust of his partner’s daughters by using secret camera to record intimate videos of them have revealed the trauma and devastation they suffered from the man who was meant to be a father to them.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims, has pleaded guilty to six charges of intentionally recording intimate images without consent (domestic violence-related).

A further 20 counts of the same offence will also be considered on sentencing.

At the time of his arrest in June 2022, the man was no longer a police officer and was in a de facto relationship with a woman and lived with her and her children, two of whom were the victims of his heinous crimes, at homes in the Macarthur region.

In 2018, the man began making sexualised comments towards one of the girls, aged about 18, saying, “I know you sleep naked”.

Court documents reveal on multiple occasions, the man would film the sisters through a hole in the door when they showered, with one of them being 17 when he captured the recordings.

Then, in December 2021, the man bought and installed a camera inside the airconditioning vent of the older sister’s bedroom and pointed it directly at her bed.

The man has pleaded guilty to more than 20 counts of intentionally record intimate image without consent.

The violation of the family’s trust was revealed in January 2022 when one of the girls noticed a blue flash in the duct in her bedroom ceiling and the next day police found the device.

“My mental health has been deeply impacted … this trauma has caused deep depression and high functioning anxiety which continues to impact my ability to engage in everyday tasks including leaving the house and attending work,” one of the victims said.

The woman told the court she was a child whose rights to grow up with a sense of security and contentment were stolen.

“Our trust and innocence meant nothing to him … I feel like I am ruined, it will take some time to work through all of this … what he did was planned, organised and he did it repeatedly to innocent children,’ she said.

Campbelltown court. Picture: AAP Image / Angelo Velardo

The man’s second victim spoke of how when he came into her life, she was just 11 years old and being filmed in such intimate scenarios had left her with lasting mental health impacts that manifested in physical symptoms.

“You were meant to be a father figure to me, I expected to feel safe and loved. That is how a parent is supposed to make you feel,” she said.

“You entered on the pretence of protecting my family … I think you are disgusting … your stupidity greed and carelessness is what brought you here.”

Barrister Phillip Boulten said his client had served an anxious time in custody when he was refused bail, had a limited criminal record and had pleaded guilty early. Mr Boulten also said the man was suffering from mental health issues and was using cocaine.

“He was damaged, psychiatrically damaged in his service to the community as a policeman … he has done everything that he can humanely do to make good his own failings,” he said.

Mr Boulten asked the court to consider an intensive corrections order rather than a jail term.

Director of Public Prosecutions representative Chris Allison said the man’s offending substantially impacted the two victims and there were multiple offences.

The man will be sentenced next year.