- 46-year-old inspector accused of drunk driving
- Not appointed as part of a “specialized command”
- Police launch extraordinary legal battle
- READ MORE: Scandal engulfs police force
An extraordinary legal battle has been waged by NSW Police to keep secret the name of a senior officer who allegedly drank 20 alcoholic drinks before crashing and abandoning his car.
The unidentified senior police officer, aged 46, attended a function in The Rocks area of Sydney’s CBD in May this year before allegedly getting behind the wheel of his police car while he was off duty.
CCTV footage from The Rocks allegedly shows the officer drinking more than 20 alcoholic drinks before getting behind the wheel.
He allegedly collided with a barrier on the North Connex ramp at Wahroonga, on Sydney’s upper north shore, at 1.54am before abandoning the damaged car in a nearby street, 9News. reported.
The unidentified police officer, aged 46, is believed to have attended a function in The Rocks area of Sydney’s CBD in May this year before getting behind the wheel of his police car while he was not in service (stock image).
He is believed to have collided with a barrier on the North Connex ramp (pictured) at Wahroonga on Syndey’s Upper North Shore at 1.54am.
It took six months for the detective inspector to be charged with drink-driving.
Once he was, it sparked a legal campaign to keep his identity secret, with senior police forced to reject the suggestion there was a cover-up.
Thanks to the media attention given to the case, it is now possible to reveal the efforts made by police lawyers to keep the man’s identity secret.
New South Wales Police sent several threatening emails, warning that journalists could go to jail for publishing the man’s image.
On Thursday, a magistrate ruled that he could only be identified by the pseudonym “AB”, with police arguing his real name had been kept quiet for 40 years. The Sydney Morning Herald
Police refused to reveal what laws may prevent the disclosure of AB’s name and why it remains so secret.
A legal email said his identity had to be removed “due to recent events.”
In a final attempt to muzzle the press, NSW Police filed a suppression application in Hornsby Local Court on Thursday.
Journalists and lawyers were asked to leave the court when the magistrate was informed why AB’s identity had to remain secret.
Magistrate Robert Williams ordered that the officer can only be known as AB for the next fortnight until a full hearing can take place.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) was forced to deny any cover-up on Wednesday.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb was forced to deny there was a cover-up on Wednesday.
“We had to wait for the legal process to take its course, and I can’t make it go any faster,” she told 2GB radio.
“So any suggestion that there was a cover-up or interference, I reject it.”
On Tuesday, a NSW Police spokesperson said: “An off-duty police officer has been charged with drink driving. »
“After a thorough investigation, a CAN (notice to appear in court) for future service was issued to a 46-year-old man.
“The off-duty inspector, attached to a specialist command, received a Future Service CAN for driving under the influence and a Future Service CAN for driving with high-end PCA, he is due to appear before Hornsby Local Court on December 21, 2023.
“In response to questions raised about the conduct of the investigation, Commissioner Karen Webb immediately referred the matter to the Professional Standards Command and the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) for investigation.”
