Solicitor Larina Alick,representing the publisher of this masthead,told the court it was important for police to treat AB like any other person – or explain why he was being treated differently.
“If someone was a low-level officer in Byron Bay,I doubt they would have the level of protection of this officer,” Alick said on Thursday.
“It is important to society that there is transparency over this matter because of how this one police officer has been treated in the last six months.”
The order to suppress detective inspector AB’s identity marks the end of a rapid legal battle that began the moment news of the charges against him broke.
NSW Police have a policy of issuing media releases when officers are charged – but no release was sent when detective inspector AB was charged.
Instead,solicitors instructed by the commissioner of police sent legal threats to the publisher of this masthead warning journalists could be jailed for publishing the image,or description,of detective inspector AB.
The commissioner’s lawyers then changed position and said AB’s name was also covered by the same unidentified laws. They refused multiple requests to explain which laws prohibited the identification of AB.
By the time the matter reached a court this week,the commissioner’s lawyers had abandoned those claims and asked for the suppression on the grounds of “personal safety”.
Ordinarily NSW Police facing criminal charges are named in court and can be identified by the media. On the same day lawyers for police sent legal threats to keep AB’s name quiet,for example,two low-ranking police appeared in Sydney courts on unrelated charges.
Their names were released to the public.
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Redfern Legal Centre’s senior solicitor Samantha Lee said the order was “intriguing” given how many other police and even members of the judiciary have been named over similar allegations.
“NSW has had its fair share of police and even members of the judiciary charged with drink-driving whose identity has been revealed,” Lee said.
“It certainly makes one wonder why the necessity,especially when the identity of many other police officers charged with offences has been allowed.”
This week Constable Nicholas McCormack,son of former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack,was charged and identified over an alleged assault.
Police social media channels were quick to point out the difference between McCormack and AB’s cases – making memes showing McCormack’s name redacted from news stories.
“If only old mate[McCormack] on the weekend was an Inspector or above needing 40 years worth of details suppression …” the group’s administrator wrote.
AB will face Hornsby Local Court on December 21.
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