Listed: South Australian police officers who have faced court in the past two years

From stealing PlayStations and power tools from police lockup to trafficking LSD from the Netherlands, these coppers found themselves in court for all the wrong reasons.

They’re supposed to be the people we call in the most dangerous circumstances, yet not all police officers are strict obeyers of the law.

Some are lured to the dark side – or the dark web – and others simply take their duties a few steps too far.

From stealing gaming consoles, to indecent assault, to selling drugs online, there’s been no shortage of cops going through the state’s legal system over the past two years.

Here are five South Australian police officers who were busted on the wrong side of the law.

Richard Lloyd Bartholomew

Former SAPOL officer Richard Bartholomew managed to avoid jail. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

A former SA Police property officer, Richard Lloyd Bartholomew, 59, was found guilty of stealing items he was once in charge of destroying.

Over a decade, he collected items such as a Play Station, Xbox, iPads, cameras and power tools that were destined to be trashed, but instead kept them at his Prospect Hill property.

During a raid in September 2019, police found the items, and charged him with 20 counts of aggravated dishonestly taking property without consent.

While Bartholomew agreed he had taken the items, he argued he had never “deprived” anyone: the items he stole were due to be binned anyway.

During trial, his lawyer Andrew Culshaw told Magistrate Lynette Duncan said Bartholomew’s “misconduct was completely victimless.”

“The only thing it did was to prevent waste,” he said.

After being found guilty of 19 of the 20 charges, Ms Duncan sentenced Bartholomew to four months imprisonment, which was suspended upon him entering into a good behaviour bond.

Martin Duku

Former police officer Martin Duku was convicted of indecent assault. Picture: Mitch Mott

Once a young, rural police officer at the prime of his career, Martin Duku was stripped of his title after being found guilty of indecently assaulting two people in Port Augusta.

The now 32-year-old Pooraka man was serving as a police officer based out of Port Augusta in 2019 when he indecently assaulted two women – one of which was another police officer.

The Adelaide Magistrates Court in February found Duku guilty of three counts of indecent assault, and acquitted him of a fourth.

The court heard the incidents occurred in one of the victim’s cars, at a party and in one woman’s bedroom.

Kathryn Waite, Duku’s lawyer, asked Magistrate John Wells to consider releasing her client on home detention bail because his status as a police officer and a sex offender would likely put him in danger in prison.

She said it was likely he would need to be in protective custody.

Mr Wells jailed Duku for 13 months, and said the offending was too serious for the sentence to be suspended or served on home detention.

Thomas Booker

Thomas Booker turned to the dark web to traffic drugs online. Picture: Supplied

He was also caught laundering more than $300,000 in cash. Picture: SA Police.

A police officer turned online dark web drug lord was jailed for over 20 years, but has since asked a court to lessen his “crushing” sentence.

Thomas Booker left the police force in 2018 and turned to illegal online drug trafficking and money laundering.

He pleaded guilty to more than 50 drug trafficking and laundering charges stemming from a complicated dark web syndicate.

Booker would purchase large quantities of cannabis, cocaine and psychedelic hallucinogen psilocin before reselling smaller units online.

He was caught with more than $300,000 in cash, and had also started trafficking LSD that he purchased from the Netherlands.

In July this year, Booker further pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation material before then asking the court to lessen his sentence.

Andrew Culshaw, acting for Booker, said his client’s drug offending “really is not as bad as what it looks on paper.”

“It avoids visions of Pablo Escobar shipping loads of cocaine around the place,” he said.

If he were to serve the full sentence, Booker would be eligible for parole in January, 2037.

Daniel John Schatto

Schatto successfully appealed his prison sentence for drug trafficking. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

A man who served as a cop for two decades financed his drug-addict wife to purchase methamphetamines, knowing she had plans to sell the drug on – but has since been allowed to appeal his conviction after he was jailed for the crime.

The now 47-year-old was a police officer in Renmark when he gave his then wife money to travel to Adelaide and buy drugs.

Police stopped her car and found $3300 worth of the drug, but she had already sold half a gram before she was caught.

Daniel John Schatto was charged and convicted on a single charge of drug trafficking.

He was jailed for three and a half years with a non-parole period of 22 months, but successfully applied to appeal that sentence.

He has since been released on a suspended sentence.

Originally published as Listed: South Australian police officers who have faced court in the past two years