What happened to Sydney cops charged over schoolgirl sex during 21-day jail stint

Two cops who were arrested in 2020 for having sex with a Sydney schoolgirl were sent to Silverwater jail on remand. Read what happened inside.

Two NSW Police officers who had sex with a Sydney schoolgirl after one of them met her on duty have both told a court they feel “disgusted” with themselves and have revealed the threats they received while in jail on remand.

James Delinicolis, 30, and Angelo Dellosa, 31, faced Downing Centre District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office over the incident with the 17-year-old, known by the pseudonym Violet, in March last year.

Agreed facts state Delinicolis met Violet at a train station while on duty before he and Dellosa later had sex with her in a hotel room.

Angelo Dellosa leaves the Downing Centre today with barrister Margaret Cunneen (right). Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

James Delinicolis (centre) outside the Downing Centre with his legal team. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Dellosa broke down while giving evidence and revealed he contemplated suicide while being held inside Silverwater jail on remand following his arrest.

“There was a correctives (officer) punching and banging my door, he was saying: ‘Did you rape that little girl?’ and I said: ‘No I didn’t’,” Dellosa said.

“He also said: ‘You wait until you receive your dinner tonight’ and I just kept saying: ‘I didn’t do it’.

“There were also inmates in there who were saying: ‘Just go kill yourself’ … ‘you have no hope here, just go hang yourself’ — that really affected me, I thought about ending it all.”

Delinicolis also said he grew “very scared” after receiving threats while being held at the same jail for 21 days.

“I was getting threats from other prisoners from the cells next door, they knew that I was a police officer,” Delinicolis said.

Delinicolis and Dellosa before their arrests.

“There were also some prison officers that would also say things to the words of ‘I thought it was only Catholic priests that did this, not police officers’.

“It was very intimidating to be in there and having officers looking after me say things like that.”

Delinicolis and Dellosa were both initially hit with a more serious charge of aggravated sexual assault in company but this offence was later dropped in court.

Delinicolis’ defence lawyer Phillip Strickland SC, in an August 2020 bail hearing, had said the sex was consensual.

Some of the hotel room encounter was filmed and, in the footage, Delinicolis can be heard saying “double impact” while Dellosa says “double trouble”.

Both officers were married with children at the time. Delinicolis has since split with his wife but Dellosa’s relationship has survived, the court was told.

The court heard Delinicolis had post-it notes with his mobile phone number written on them in case he met women and that he took the opportunity that being a police officer gave him to pick them up.

He told the court he felt “disgusted” by his actions and that he understood there was a power imbalance between him and Violet.

Dellosa also said he regretted what he had done.

“I’m very remorseful, I want to apologise to everyone who’s been affected by my actions, I look back … and I just feel disgusted, at the time I didn’t realise how many people would be impacted,” he said.

Dellosa’s defence barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, said he should be punished when he is sentenced but that he should not be sent back to jail.

“It’s obvious that police officers in uniform must not conduct themselves in this way. They must not trawl the areas in which they work for sexual conquests of any kind or sexual relations of any kind – this was very wrong,” she said.

Delinicolis’ defence barrister, Philip Strickland SC, said his client’s risk of reoffending would be better addressed by him remaining in the community with his family instead of being sent back to prison with other criminals who had threatened his life.

Both officers have been suspended without pay since the incident.

The court heard it was “extremely unlikely” Delinicolis would continue working with NSW Police and that Dellosa had “lost his job forever”.

Acting Judge Peter Berman SC will sentence the pair next Friday.