How cop Murray Gentner will fight Dani Laidley photo leak charge

A Victoria Police officer charged with leaking private photos of AFL great Dani Laidley has revealed what he will argue in court.

At least four officers including Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner have been charged over allegedly leaking photos and information about Dani Laidley after she was arrested on May 3, 2020. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

A police officer accused of leaking private information and photos of AFL legend Dani Laidley has revealed how he intends to fight the charges.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Murray Gentner, 43, of Keilor Lodge, appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday but did not turn on his camera for the videolink hearing.

He is charged with police misconduct, accessing police records and four counts of disclosing police information about Ms Laidley’s arrest on May 3 last year.

Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner is charged with police misconduct, accessing police records and four counts of disclosing police information about Dean Laidley’s arrest on May 3 last year. Picture: David Geraghty / The Australian.

He allegedly used an offensive term for transgender women in messages and allegedly attached a photo of Ms Laidley in feminine attire while she was in a police custody.

It was not widely known before photos and information were leaked during the arrest, allegedly by Victoria Police officers, that Ms Laidley was transgender.

Constable Gentner’s lawyer Chris Carr SC said he would dispute at future hearings “what my client accessed and what other people accessed”.

He said there would be an “issue where a photograph came from” and “an issue what information was in the public domain”.

At least four officers were charged over the leak after the photos and information ended up on social media.

The court was told eight police officers would be caused to give evidence as Constable Gentner contests the charges from February 23 to 25 in the magistrates court.

Dani Laidley faced court charged with stalking and possessing methylamphetamine after her May 3 arrest and was later sentenced to community-based orders. Picture: AAP Image/Nine News

Ms Laidley was arrested on May 3, 2020, charged with possessing methylamphetamine, and later sentenced to a diversion order.

She was also charged with stalking a woman by bombarding her with texts and phone calls and hanging around outside and was later sentenced to an 18-month good behaviour order.

Ms Laidley previously went by Dean Laidley while coach of AFL team North Melbourne from 2003 to 2009 after a star career as a player.

Laidley pictured in 1996 playing for North Melbourne.

Before identifying as female she played with the West Coast Eagles in 1987 before moving at the end of 1992 to North Melbourne where she helped them take the premiership in 1996.

She was coach of North Melbourne for seven years and has since been part of coaching teams at Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Carlton.