A NSW Police officer has been refused bail after allegedly being caught with 200,000 images of child abuse and bestiality material, and allegedly giving his lover information illegally obtained from the internal police database.
Senior Constable Mitchell Leslie, 38, appeared in Hornsby Local Court in Tuesday on charges of “holder of public office misconduct himself in that office”, “possess child abuse material”, “person possesses bestiality material”, and “access/ modify restricted data held in computer”.
The court heard he was arrested on May 30 by investigators from Strike Force Blumont, which was formed in March to look into reports of authorised access of the COPS police system, and his electronic devices were then seized and forensically examined, Central Coast Express Advocate reported.
A Crown prosecutor alleged Leslie had the child abuse material on his private laptop, and accessed the police database to get information on a woman he “was having an intimate relationship with”.
Leslie allegedly accessed the database to look up the woman’s profile to “protect her from detection” while knowing she was driving unlawfully, look up her brother’s to assist him in avoiding domestic violence charges, and to look up another man, according to charge sheets tendered to the court.
He also allegedly provided the woman with a NSW Police letter to help her obtain priority housing.
Leslie’s lawyer asked for bail, saying her client was at risk in custody due to being involved in the arrest of prominent motorcycle gang figures, and said he was currently receiving psychological treatment at a hospital after three weeks in a mental health ward.
But Magistrate Michael O’Brien remanded Leslie in custody, citing the risk of him fleeing the jurisdiction, interfering with witnesses, or committing further offences.
Leslie has been suspended with pay, but police said his employment status was under “urgent review”.
He will face court again on September 10.
Header image credit: NSW Police.
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