Cop accused of leaking Dani Laidley’s photo while in custody wants to become teacher

A cop accused of leaking photos of Dani Laidley in custody has made a desperate plea to avoid a conviction so he can become a teacher.

The policeman who snapped the photo of former AFL coach Dani Laidley in custody wants to avoid a conviction so he can return to a teaching career after having to resign from the force, a court has heard.

Shane Reid, 37, fronted an online Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing on Monday charged with unauthorised disclosure of police information, which carries a maximum penalty of two years jail or up to a $43,000 fine.

He is accused of taking a picture of Ms Laidley in the interview room at the St Kilda police station wearing a dress, long blonde wig and make-up on May 3 last year.

It is alleged the senior constable then shared the photo in a group WhatsApp chat involving other police officers called the “SD1 Gentleman’s Club”.

The photo quickly went viral, making news headlines, within hours of Ms Laidley’s arrest.

Chris Carr, SC, for Mr Reid asked magistrate Andrew McKenna to indicate what sentence he would impose if Mr Reid was to plead guilty.

Former North Melbourne coach Danielle Laidley. Picture: Alex Coppel.

He asked Mr McKenna to consider a non conviction with a “modest fine”, saying “this conduct was entirely out of character” and that his client wished to return to his former teaching career.

“In order to return to that career, he will need to show the Victorian Institute of Teaching he is a fit person to be suitable to teach,” Mr Carr said.

He said the loss of Mr Reid’s police career was “no small matter”, with references showing that he is a “kind-hearted considerate man who brought integrity to his job”.

“The career he had worked towards has come to an end as a result of his offending,” Mr Carr said.

“He himself on the night of the actions reported himself to his station commander of what he had done.”

Prosecutor Neil Hutton said they were not pushing for Mr Reid to be jailed, but that a conviction was warranted.

He said Mr Reid knew what he was doing was wrong, because he had asked another officer with him whether there were any cameras in the room when he pulled his phone out to take a photograph.

When told that there was, the court heard he said: “I probably shouldn’t then.”

But he still proceeded to take a photograph, Mr Hutton said.

Mr Hutton said Laidley had detailed in a victim impact statement how the leaking of the photo had taken away from her the right “to choose the timing and manner” to reveal her gender transition to the community and her family.

He said she had suffered “significant public humiliation and embarrassment”.

The court heard, in his interview with police, Mr Reid told investigators he took the photo because he was “surprised” a former AFL player and coach had been arrested.

“It just kind of threw me,” Mr Reid allegedly said.

“It was a poor decision on my behalf.”

After hearing the allegations, Mr McKenna said a conviction was necessary if a guilty plea was entered, and that Mr Reid must have known it was “plainly an inappropriate thing to do”.

“The offence at its core involves a breach of duty,” he said, adding that it also tarnished the reputation of Victoria Police officers, who were often “concerned, caring, thoughtful, considerate, decent people”.

“This was no minor episode in my view.”

In light of the indication, Mr Carr said his client would persist in contesting the charges at a two-day hearing in March.