Abuse Whistleblower "Went through Hell"

ABC News
May 9, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-09/tweeting-cop-27breached-non-publication-order27/4679256

[with video]

A New South Wales police whistleblower says he put himself and his family through hell campaigning for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

A Special Commission of Inquiry is examining how NSW Police and the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese handled allegations of child sexual abuse by two priests.

The Commission was sparked when Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox aired claims on ABC TV's Lateline program that his superiors ordered him to stop investigating the allegations as part of Strike Forces Lantle, set up in late 2010, and Georgiana, set up in 2007.

Detective Fox spent his fourth day in the witness box refuting claims by police barrister Wayne Roser SC that his appearance on Lateline had been scripted, but he did agree he was campaigning for a royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Mr Roser is representing several senior police officers who will give evidence at the commission in the next two weeks.

He also accused Detective Fox of deliberately changing police computer records to suggest he was the chief police investigator in the case of one of the priests before Strike Force Lantle was set up.

Detective Fox denied the allegation, saying a look at the documents would show there was no logic behind that claim.

Detective Fox also rejected claims he was lying, asking why he would put himself and his family through hell.

But Detective Fox admits he forwarded police documents to Fairfax Media journalist Joanne McCarthy from his personal computer after work, to hide the fact that he was sending them.

Mr Roser suggested Detective Fox sent the documents the day before Ms McCarthy met with Stike Force Lantle investigators to help her ask the right questions.

Detective Fox said almost everything in the document came to him from Ms McCarthy and she did not need his help.

The court has previously heard Detective Fox viewed Ms McCarthy as an informant, not a journalist, but did not enter her details in the police informant register because he did not want to attract more scrutiny from senior colleagues.

The inquiry has also heard senior police were told to stop talking to Ms McCarthy despite her being ''the genesis'' of a child abuse strike force.

Twitter breach

Earlier in the day, Mr Roser accused Detective Fox of intentionally breaching a suppression order on information about future police witnesses at the commission in a tweet he posted yesterday afternoon.

Mr Roser said the controversial tweet was another example of Mr Fox trying to undermine the strike forces.

Mr Fox said the tweet did not identify the officers, and he insisted he had done everything he could to assist the forces.

But he deleted the tweet on advice from his lawyer.

The inquiry continues.