Detective in court for hearing into Dani Laidley leaked photo case

The Victorian Police officer who called Dani Laidley a “full blown ice head and tranny” has noted his actions as “banter” in court as he made an apology to the former AFL coach.

The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court has heard new details of the Dani Laidley leaked photo scandal. Picture: Alex Coppel

A Victoria Police detective says calling Dani Laidley a “full-blown ice head and tranny” was just “banter” and debriefing among cops as he apologised the former AFL coach for his “ignorance”.

Murray Gentner returned to Melbourne s’ Court on Thursday for the second day of a three-day hearing to contest charges of misconduct by a public official, and accessing and disclosing police information without reasonable excuse.

In his record of interview — from May 13, 2020 and played to the court — Mr Gentner acknowledged he may have stepped over the line.

But he denied he misused the police database.

He argues he got the information and photo about Laidley’s arrest from the internet before sharing it with a WhatsApp group, named “SD1 Gentleman’s Club”, containing other officers.

Mr Gentner, 43, told interviewing officers he found the information and photos by a Google search or on Twitter.

“What I can tell you is it’s come from the public,” he said.

“I certainly haven’t got it myself.”

In the long-lasting interview, he also apologised to Laidley and Victoria Police “for the role I’ve played in it”.

“I’m really sorry for what this has done for (Laidley), for what it’s done to our organisation — I love my job,” he said.

“I’m happy to assist in any way that can help to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future,”

Asked directly what his reason was for unauthorised disclosure of police information, Mr Gentner replied: “I think the word that sums up the most for me is ignorance”.

The case was expected to end on Friday with magistrate Samantha Poulter to determine if there was sufficient evidence to convict Mr Gentner on the charges, or acquit him.

But her decision has been put on hold following revelations of a police administration bungle.

Mr Gentner’s case was delayed starting on Thursday after prosecutor Neill Hutton grappled with how news that thousands of officers had not been properly sworn in could affect it.

This case is the first to be thrown into disarray following the sworn police bungle revelations. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Thousands more police matters could be in doubt after it was discovered more than 1000 officers have been working without the authority to do so.

Mr Hutton suggested it would be “fatal to the prosecution case” if it was discovered there was an issue with the swearing in of any of the officers who had already given evidence, or detective Senior Sergeant John Chadwick, who laid the charges against Mr Gentner.

“If it does affect them, the question is what do we do with their evidence?” Mr Hutton asked Ms Poulter.

He said most of the charges may have to be dropped, with the only charge likely to “survive” being misconduct in public office.

“It is fairly early on and I haven’t researched it, but it appears to me that charge six would survive regardless of the swearing in of detective Chadwick, as that’s not a charge that requires him to be a police officer to lay,” he said.

Sergeant Chadwick began giving evidence in the case on Wednesday afternoon and was due to continue on Thursday.

Mr Hutton proposed the court continue with the case, but for Ms Poulter to defer delivering her findings as to whether Mr Gentner was guilty or not guilty of the charges “until we resolve that issue”.

With no objections from Mr Gentner’s lawyer, Chris Carr, SC, the case continued with Sergeant Chadwick called to continue his evidence.

Murray Gentner is facing a hearing over alleged misconduct. Picture: Aaron Francis

A police spokeswoman later confirmed Sergeant Chadwick and the other members who have given evidence in Mr Gentner’s case were not impacted by the delegation issue.

“We have cross referenced all of the names associated with the Gentner matter against the 1076 police officers to confirm this,” she said.

Mr Gentner is accused of posting a mugshot photo of Laidley from the LEAP police database in the WhatsApp group chat the day after the ex-Kangaroos coach was arrested and taken to the St Kilda Police Station over stalking offences on May 2 last year.

Mr Gentner, who was awarded Victoria Police’s 2012 Detective of the Year, wrote: “Dean Laidley remanded overnight. Now a full-blown ice head and tranny.”

Eight other officers from the Southern Metropolitan district were in the group chat: Shane Reid, Simon Pitzen, Shane Plummer, Thomas Smith, John Milne, John Thompson, Luke Jones, and Simon Hergreaves.

The court heard Senior Constable Reid had secretly taken a photo on his phone of Laidley inside the police station wearing a dress, long blonde wig and make-up and also shared it on the group chat.

On Wednesday, on the opening day of the contested hearing, Mr Hutton told the court Mr Gentner had argued he did not access the information on his log-in details.

“There is a suggestion that he got that material from open information already on the internet,” he said.

Mr Gentner is also accused of revealing police information to retired cop Matthew Thorpe.

When Mr Thorpe texted: “What did you stitch up Dean Laidley with?”, Mr Gentner replied: “I didn’t. But he’s now a tranny!”

Mr Gentner added: “He’s cooked … He is on the ice bad”.

Photos of Dani Laidley were shared among police officers via WhatsApp. Picture: Ian Currie

His lawyer, Christopher Carr, suggested the disclosure was in a private group chat with other police officers, and it was not like Mr Gentner had plastered posters up on Bourke St.

But Ms Poulter quipped she didn’t see a difference.

The court heard from multiple officers who were part of the SD1 WhatsApp group, including Senior Constable Plummer, who said “alarm bells started ringing for me” when Constable Reid posted the first photo in the group.

“I pretty much deleted everything as soon as it was happening,” he said.

He said on May 4, Victoria Police chief Shane Patton directed all police members to delete any photos they might have received on their phones.

“I followed that direction,” Constable Plummer said.

He recalled getting the images sent to him from numerous friends groups.

“It went everywhere. As quickly as I was receiving them, I was deleting them and not commenting,” he said.

But the court heard Mr Gentner refused to delete the evidence on his phone, claiming “If I wipe it, then I look like I’ve done something wrong”.

Sergeant Hergreaves could not recall who had said what in the group message, but admitted he also “made some disparaging comments”.

He said there was an understanding that what was said in the group chat, stayed in the group chat.

Asked what the contents of the messaging was, Sergeant Hergreaves said: “I believe there were comments about how she had been arrested, and comments about it being that she was cross-dressing, or a tranny, pardon my language.”

Mr Gentner, known for his involvement in chasing James Gargasoulas in the lead-up to the deadly 2017 Bourke Street Mall car rampage, was charged alongside Senior Constable Reid, who will face a two-day contested hearing next month.