A court has dismissed the case brought against a Victoria Police detective charged with sharing a photograph and information about former AFL coach Dani Laidley after the magistrate found the officer has no case to answer.
Magistrate Samantha Poulter on Tuesday dismissed the charges against Detective Leading Senior Constable Murray Gentner, finding the prosecution failed to establish that the officer had a duty to not disclose the information about Ms Laidley.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Murray Gentner in 2019.Credit:Joe Armao
“In this current case, I’m not satisfied that a duty not to disclose information has been established,” Ms Poulter found in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“I am satisfied … the disclosure did not impede crime prevention, detection, pursuit of offenders or the like. On that basis, I find that the prosecution has not established a legal duty existed not to disclose the information in those circumstances.”
Detective Leading Senior Constable Gentner was one of three officers charged after photos of Ms Laidley taken after her arrest for stalking in May 2020 entered the public domain.
One photo showed Ms Laidley in a wig and make-up being interviewed by two officers. The other photo was a mugshot.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Gentner, 43, had pleaded not guilty to misconduct in public office, accessing a police database without reasonable excuse and four charges of disclosing police information without reasonable excuse.
He told investigators he shared the mugshot with other officers in a social WhatsApp group, but did not take or leak the original photo and instead found it online. He said he shared a screenshot of the mugshot to alert his friends that the image had gone viral.
The detective was also accused of describing Ms Laidley as a “tranny” and an ice user after her arrest for stalking. He told investigators he regretted using the language. During a record of interview, he apologised to Ms Laidley.
Former North Melbourne coach Dani Laidley (right) with former North Melbourne player Brent Harvey earlier this month.Credit:Wayne Taylor
Ms Laidley was ultimately charged with stalking and later put on a good behaviour bond without conviction. She is suing Victoria Police over the incident.
More to come.
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