Exposed: sex scandal Australian police kept quiet

Protecting a sexual predator is fine as long as he is a buddy

A SENIOR police officer was employed at the Goulburn Police Academy for three years after an internal inquiry found he had sexually harassed one student and threatened to fail another if she did not grant him sexual favours. Sergeant Laurence Godkin, whose identity has been revealed for the first time in a court judgment, was still at the academy in July last year when the Commissioner, Ken Moroney, assured the public that police involved in sexual misconduct had been transferred out of the school. In fact, Sergeant Godkin was removed only in August last year when the police hierarchy became nervous about adverse publicity if it was revealed he was still there.

The acting Assistant Commissioner, Tony McWhirter, said in an affidavit filed in court: "I was concerned that, if the media were able to identify any of the affected officers as still being attached to the academy, this would also add a new angle to the story which would be likely to add to the coverage of the issue, and keep the story running for a longer period." The affidavit also revealed police were anxious to get Sergeant Godkin out and keep his identity secret to prevent the scandal affecting recruitment. It said the NSW Government had just released a budget paper that included a commitment to increase police numbers.

But Mr McWhirter said, "I was concerned that continued media coverage would cause other potential recruits to decide not to join the NSW Police Force, or to defer joining. "I was particularly concerned that Mr Godkin was likely to be of interest to the media, given that he remained attached to the academy and also given that his conduct was one of the case studies included in the Ombudsman's report," he said in his affidavit.

In early August last year, the NSW Ombudsman presented a report to Parliament entitled Misconduct at the NSW Police Academy. While Sergeant Godkin was not named, his case was one of those cited as an example of "poor handling by police of a serious complaint". Sergeant Godkin, a former highway patrol officer, became an instructor at the academy in 2000. Three years later an internal police inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships with students by teachers at the academy resulted in adverse findings being made against him.

It was found that in 2001 he sexually harassed a student by inappropriately touching her and making suggestive comments and gestures towards her and, earlier that year, he had harassed a student by threatening to fail her if she did not grant him sexual favours. A separate inquiry by Superintendent Wayne Benson found that only the first complaint - the inappropriate touching - could be sustained and Sergeant Godkin was counselled.

Sergeant Godkin took action in the Industrial Court of NSW, seeking to be reinstated to the academy and to have the police declare that his transfer "was not in the interests of NSW Police". Justice Patricia Staunton dismissed the case, saying it was not within the court's jurisdiction.

Report here



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