NSW Police officer admits to assaulting his son in three serious incidents

A police officer has admitted he was violent towards his son when he cut him with scissors, dragged him on the ground, tipped his body into a bin and kicked him in the stomach, a court has heard.

A father in his 40s pleaded guilty to reckless wounding and two counts of common assault. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A police officer has avoided jail after he was violent towards his son when he cut him with scissors, dragged him on the ground, tipped his body into a bin and kicked him in the stomach, a court has heard.

The father, aged in his 40s, who cannot be identified to protect the child, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to reckless wounding and two counts of common assault at Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday.

Agreed facts tendered to court say the man joined the NSW Police Force in the late 1990s and had been on medical leave.

In January 2022 the father took his children, the youngest of whom has ADHD, camping in Foster.

The father got his children an ice block and, as he searched for scissors to open them, the youngest child repeatedly said “can you cut mine?”.

The man was sentenced in Sutherland Local Court.

After he found the scissors and opened the ice block, the child rushed up and grabbed it however he spilt it over himself, his father and the family’s tent.

The father said “f*****g stop” and the child walked away to join his siblings before the man threw the scissors at his son which hit the child and caused a 2cm laceration on his thigh.

The bleeding would not stop so they went to an emergency department and the boy needed three stitches.

He told his children to lie and say the injury was an accident caused by a knife falling off a magnetic holder.

In another concerning incident, the family went camping at Bundeena in March last year when the father asked his son to put rubbish in the bin but he did not.

The father, who had consumed three drinks, put the rubbish in the bin before he walked up to his son while he was playing soccer with his brother.

The child put up his leg before his dad kicked him causing him to fall to the ground.

The man grabbed the child’s feet and dragged him along the ground for two metres.

The father then told his son to look in the bin before he picked him using the back of his pants and tipped him upside down, putting his face and torso into the garbage before lifting him out.

Later that month the father looked at his son’s phone and saw messages he had sent to his mother about the man’s partner, which upset him.

The father kicked the child in the stomach causing him to fall backwards before he said “I should f*****g make you eat this phone”.

A couple of months later the child did an interview with police before the father was arrested and made full admissions to police.

A NSW Police statement last year said the man was attached to a specialist command and his employment was under review.

In court, the man’s lawyer submitted her client was “a man of good character who served his community for a number of years”.

She noted he had mental health issues as a consequence of his employment, adding he was willing to undergo parenting, anger management or ADHD education.

The lawyer noted the father had not seen his children since the offence and had only contacted them via phone.

The Crown prosecutor said the man had stopped taking his medication for his mental health conditions at the time of the offences, which was “concerning”.

Magistrate Hugh Donnelly said the offending was serious and accepted he had severe and chronic PTSD from his time as a police officer.

He noted the father, who had no previous criminal history, had not demonstrated insight into his conduct nor shown any remorse, adding he had also not completed any parenting course.

Mr Donnelly placed the man on a jail sentence to be served in the community for two years and two months, in the form of a intensive correction order, where he will be supervised by Community Corrections.

He must abstain from drugs and alcohol, complete anger management courses, get a new mental health assessment and complete 300 hours of community service.