Beerwah police officer Tully Anderson attempts to overturn fraud, computer hacking charges

A Sunshine Coast police officer has made an unsuccessful bid to appeal fraud and computer hacking charges, after is was revealed he hacked into Queensland Police Service computers before buying a second-hand boat.

Queensland Police Service - Generic images

A Sunshine Coast police officer found guilty of hacking into Queensland Police Service computers before buying a second-hand boat has made an unsuccessful bid to appeal his convictions.

Tully Anderson launched an appeal into fraud and computer hacking convictions from an incident in August, 2021, at Beerwah.

Court documents from the appeal show Anderson, who was working as a Sergeant shift supervisor at the Beerwah police station, was first convicted of three counts of computer hacking and one count of fraud regarding multiple checks he did while preparing to buy a boat and trailer.

Anderson was found guilty of the charges following a trial and was fined $2,500, no convictions were recorded by the court.

The documents, from the appeal hearing held on November 22, stated an officer from the Beerwah police station attended a Sunshine Coast property regarding issues over the location of a boat and was informed the owner was ultimately looking to sell the boat along with the trailer.

The police officer told Anderson about the boat back at the Beerwah police station and he expressed an interest in buying it.

Anderson then conducted searches through QPRIME regarding the boat’s ownership and registration at different times over a span of three days.

Anderson also fraudulently gained a PPSR certificate, dodging a $2 fee, before purchasing the boat and trailer, with the transaction completed by August 11, according to the court documents.

“On 11 August 2021, the appellant arrived late for work towing the boat and he told a number of officers at the station he had purchased it,” the court documents stated.

Anderson told the court the possibility of domestic violence had been mentioned, justifying his background searches, however the documents stated no other police officers involved believed this to be an issue.

“The request for information was specific to the registration details of the boat, its trailer and any finance,” the documents stated.

“At no stage did the appellant tell (another officer) that he had made enquiries because he was concerned about the abandonment of the boat, a crime on the finance company or domestic violence.”

Ultimately, District Judge Paul Smith dismissed Sergeant Anderson’s appeal and upheld the decision of the magistrate to find him guilty of the four charges.

Queensland Police Media could not confirm whether Mr Anderson was still employed.

Originally published as Beerwah police officer Tully Anderson attempts to overturn fraud, computer hacking charges