NSW cop charged with raping and touching three colleagues

A serving NSW Police officer allegedly raped a colleague and sexually touched two others over a two-year period, then resigned when he became aware he was under investigation.

Former NSW police officer Matthew Cameron (blue suit) emerges from Manly Local Court on Monday.

A serving NSW Police officer allegedly raped a colleague and sexually touched two others over a two-year period, then resigned when he became aware he was under investigation.

Matthew Stephen Cameron, 31, faced Manly Local Court on Monday, charged with one count of sexual intercourse and seven counts of sexual touching without consent.

The Professional Standards Unit began an investigation mid last year into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Cameron, who was a constable at the time, and charged him last month.

He resigned from the police force at the end of last year while the investigation was ongoing.

It is the second time in a week where a police officer has appeared in court in relation to serious charges without the public being informed through a press release, in line with its media policy.

Former NSW police officer Matthew Cameron holds the door handle as he leaves Manly Local Court on Monday. Picture The Daily Telegraph

Cameron appeared briefly in court with his solicitor Andrew Hamilton and an older couple, believed to be his parents, while the matter was adjourned to July 31.

He remains on strict conditional bail to live at a Pokolbin address, in the Hunter Valley, and report to Cessnock police station three times a week.

In a statement, NSW Police defended its decision not to issue a media release about Cameron’s charges saying it was for “operational reasons”.

“There are times when the NSWPF do not release information on investigations, arrests or court proceedings for operational reasons, which could include information which may hinder or jeopardise an investigation,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.

On Thursday, The Daily Telegraph revealed a police officer in the state’s southwest faked a breath test when he stopped the son of a colleague who said he had been drinking.

Senior Constable Tom Harper pleaded guilty to not carrying out his lawful duty as a police officer when he pulled over the driver at Narrandera in the Riverina last August.

Matthew Cameron was charged with one count of sexual intercourse and seven counts of sexual touching without consent over allegations which spanned from December 2021 to April 2023.

The officer told the driver to count to 10 but turned the handheld breathalyser around so that it did not record a reading, then allowed him to continue driving.

Senior Constable Harper was given a conditional release order without conviction in Griffith Local Court on Friday.

Police have been under increased pressure about not disclosing the full facts when officers are involved in serious incidents, following the death of a 95-year-old nursing home patient at Cooma last year.

Great-grandmother Clare Nowland died after she was allegedly tasered twice by police during an arrest.

Police were later accused of trying to cover up the seriousness of the incident by deleting the mention of the taser in a media release.

Police officer Kristian White has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter over Ms Nowland’s death and will face a court trial in November. He remains suspended from work.

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