Horrific allegations concerning ex-cop John Macrae, who is accused of child sex abuse

Horrific allegations concerning a former senior constable accused of child sex abuse include one act that truly “frightened” the alleged victim.

WARNING: Distressing content

Horrific allegations concerning a former NSW police officer accused of sexually abusing three girls have been revealed in court.

John Damien Terence Macrae, 73, appeared at Downing Street District Court on Monday on historical sex abuse charges.

Mr Macrae was a senior constable at Sydney’s Waverley police station for a decade until 1983.

The 73-year-old, who has 10 charges against him, is accused of sexually abusing two girls in the 1970s and molesting a third in the 1990s.

The hearing comes after Mr Macrae’s lawyers tried to have the case dismissed, citing his declining mental health.

In December 2024, the court found the accused unfit to stand trial due to his worsening schizophrenia and cognitive function.

He is charged with carnal knowledge of a girl 10 and under 16 years, assault female and commit act of decency, incite female to act of indecency, and aggravated indecent assault.

Former senior constable John Macrae is facing historical sex abuse charges. Picture: NewsWire / Brendan Read

The Crown alleges Mr Macrae’s first alleged victim came into contact with him when she rang the police station where he worked to report a separate assault.

Mr Macrae allegedly answered the phone and asked the girl, who was 14 or 15 years old at the time, to call him back.

After numerous calls, Mr Macrae allegedly met the girl, picking her up in an unmarked vehicle in which he proceeded to assault her.

In the following weeks, the court was told, the girl reported the alleged crime, an examination was conducted to confirm sexual activity took place and a correspondence card was made with the accused’s name and written entries.

Crown prosecutor Paige Madden told the court the correspondence card was the only existing record of the complaint to police about the accused.

The second girl was eight years old when the first incident took place, the court was told.

“There were about 12 (alleged) occasions when the accused engaged in unlawful sex conduct with and towards (the alleged victim),” Ms Madden told the court.

The court was told that the girl could only recount context and detail of three of those alleged encounters.

On one of these occasions, the Crown alleges Mr Macrae sat with the girl while smoking something, which he also blew in her face, before asking her to accompany him to the bedroom.

There, he allegedly showed the girl a Playboy magazine or something similar and asked her to copy the poses of the models.

“(Mr Macrae) told her to lay on the bed like the girls in the magazine and instructed her to move into a few different positions while she was on the bed and on the floor,” Ms Madden said.

Mr Macrae declined to participate in a 2024 electronic interview regarding the accusations against him. Picture: NewsWire / Brendan Read

The prosecution then claimed Mr Macrae assaulted the girl before cleaning her up, redressing her in her pyjamas and taking her back to her bedroom.

The other alleged assaults were all of a similar nature, the court was told, and there was an incident where the prosecution claimed the accused’s police-issued gun was in the bed on the pillow.

“This frightened her immensely,” Ms Madden said.

Ms Madden also told the court that all alleged incidents took place when the girl was home alone.

The alleged victim reported the crimes in 2015 and in May 2020 made her first formal statement.

Mr Macrae had retired from the police force and moved to Queensland when he met his third alleged victim.

The relationship allegedly involved “lots of hugging and watching television in bed” and the girl “initially trusted the accused and felt comfortable with him”, Ms Madden said.

Mr Macrae is accused of molesting the girl while she was sitting on his lap and playing video games.

The Crown alleges he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed her neck and then put his hand beneath her bikini bottoms.

The court was told she did not report the accused until December 1, 2023 after becoming aware of other allegations against him.

She made her first formal statement on February 5, 2024

In June 2024, Mr Macrae was offered the opportunity to participate in an electronic interview regarding the accusations, but he declined.

Ms Madden told the court that during the period of 1975 to 1996, the accused had “a tendency to have a particular state of mind, namely a sexual interest in female children aged eight to 15 years … (and) a tendency to act in a particular way, namely to act upon that sexual interest”.

It was also established that none of the three complainants were known to each other at the time.

Mr Macrae has not entered any pleas.