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A NSW policeman who was meant to help catch criminals who stole $30,000 from an elderly woman, ended up trying to rob it himself.
Sonia, 74, who asked that only her first name be used because she feared she would be targeted again, was robbed by scammers posing as NBN workers in May 2021.
They convinced her to wire $30,000 to them before she reported the incident to the local police station after realizing she had been the victim of a crime.
The detective was sent to her home to help recover the money before attempting to use her credit card and bank details and purchase nearly $20,000 worth of goods, including electronics and an Apple Watch.
He appeared before Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday where his lawyer tried to explain his client’s behavior by saying he had “drifted” and fallen into depression due to the nature of his job.
The detective stole the credit card details of a 74-year-old western Sydney woman and attempted to buy nearly $20,000 worth of goods with it (file image)
The detective went to his house several times to get the details of what happened, often in his full police uniform (file image)
He was kidnapped, his home was shot at and his cover was blown and made known to the criminals in an encrypted messaging app, the court heard.
In June 2021, the detective, whose name cannot be identified, went to Sonia’s house several times to get the details of what happened, often in his full police uniform.
To win their sympathy, he said that he had a brain aneurysm and had not yet told his girlfriend or work.
According to police documents filed with the court, she trusted him and he told her that she “reminded him of his own grandmother”, the daily telegraph informed.
When she asked to see her online banking details, credit cards and passwords, Sonia gave them to her, assuming she needed them for her enquiries.
He told Sonia that his girlfriend was calling him and she left the room to give him privacy.
However, he did not receive a call and the officer stole Sonia’s bank details while she was in another room, the court heard.
He waited a few days before trying to use them and then went shopping online.
The detective tried to buy nearly $20,000 worth of items from JB Hi Fi, Big W and Myer, including iPhones, GoPro cameras and Apple watches.
But none of the purchase attempts, which took place on July 2 and 3, came to fruition, as they were all rejected as suspicious.
The detective used the credit card to go shopping for high-value goods like Apple watches (pictured)
Late at night on July 2, Sonia received a text from her bank saying that there had been unusual activity with her card.
She was immediately suspicious of the detective who was supposed to be helping her. “I thought, ‘You rotten little thing,’ and maybe a little bit worse,” she said.
Despite the officer’s breach of trust, Sonia had no choice but to go back to the same police station.
He asked for a private room so he could explain what had happened.
Two weeks later, she received a phone call from a NSW Police Internal Investigation Officer who told her they had found the detective who had stolen her data.
In court this week, the now-former detective pleaded guilty to stealing Sonia’s bank details.
The officer also used the stolen credit card details to try to buy an iPhone (file image)
He also pleaded guilty to illegally seeking details about an internal police system and using his ex-girlfriend’s identity to try to obtain $140,000 in loans in her name.
When he was arrested On August 24, 2021, the detective was charged with 57 crimes, which were narrowed down to the six to which he pleaded guilty.
His lawyer, Simon Joyner, said the former officer is remorseful and suffered from mental health problems at the time of his crimes.
Attorney Greg James KC told the court that two medical experts had diagnosed his client as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Prosecutor Kate Kenny said a “causal connection” could not be proven between the detective’s crimes and his work-related mental health problems.
The former officer will face Downing Central District Court in Sydney on May 12, when he will be sentenced.
More than 18 months after the events, Sonia is still very concerned about what happened and blames herself.
“I can’t turn off the feeling that I was stupid in the first place…I trusted this guy and then he did that,” she said.