In short:
A police prosecutor convicted of domestic violence offences was read victim impact statements from his ex-wife and children.
asserted
prosecutor → convict → wife
His ex-wife said the assaults she endured "changed the course of my life and the life of my children".
asserted
she → say → children
The matter was adjourned for sentencing at Gosford District Court on December 11.
asserted
matter → adjourn → December
A NSW police prosecutor assaulted his then wife as she held their newborn baby while recovering from birth complications, a court has heard.
asserted
court → assault → complications
MZ, whose identity the court suppressed to protect the victim, was taken into custody in July, after a jury convicted him of 11 offences related to domestic violence.
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jury → suppress → violence
These include two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, two counts of common assault, five counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, intentionally choke a person without consent, and sexually touch another person without consent.
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These → include → consent
The 50-year-old man, a police prosecutor whose career with the force spanned more than two decades, appeared via audio-visual link in the NSW District Court.
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career → span → Court
He sat idle and expressionless as his ex-wife and her two children read victim impact statements.
"You did not simply hurt me, you changed the course of my life and the life of my children," his ex-wife read from the courtroom.
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wife → sit → courtroom
She read through pages of testimony maintaining composure, but her voice began to waver when she detailed the abuse her children had to witness.
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children → read → abuse
"After the C-section of our second child, you assaulted me when I was recovering from complications," she said.
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she → assault → complications
"I was physically weak and recovering…
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I → recover → ?
My eldest daughter had to intervene to protect me from you."
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daughter → have → you
One incident, she said, caused her to realise he would not change.
"
asserted
he → say → ?
The time when you assaulted me when I held our child was one of the most frightening moments.
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I → assault → moments
"Even holding our baby was not enough to stop you.
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holding → hold → you
That's when I began to understand that nothing would make you stop."
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you → begin → ?
The court heard that she faced a power imbalance when accusing a police prosecutor of domestic violence offences.
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she → hear → offences
"The blue shirt you hid behind was meant to represent safety…instead it became the same blue shirt I learnt to fear," she said.
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she → hide → safety
She also said the years spent pursuing the matter through the courts forced her to relive trauma.
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years → say → trauma
"You do not get to write the end of my story," she said.
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she → get → story
"I survived everything you did.
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you → survive → everything
I survived you."
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I → survive → you
The court heard the abuse left her two children suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and living with a distrust of law enforcement.
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abuse → hear → enforcement
Court heard MZ was sexually abused as a child
Judge Philip Hogan heard closing arguments as members of MZ's family watched from the gallery, among them his father, brothers and sister.
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members → hear → them
The defence, represented by barrister Arjun Chhabra, said the serious offences warranted a jail sentence of just under 10 years after mitigating factors were considered.
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factors → represent → years
"MZ described an incident of sexual abuse when he was a child by a trusted figure," the court heard.
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court → describe → figure
Mr Chhabra said his client had been diagnosed with PTSD, and that his work as a police prosecutor exposed him to criminal matters that left him triggered — particularly around an incident of domestic violence in 2020.
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that → say → 2020
"It is likely that his symptoms reduced his capacity to manage stress during periods of heightened conflict," Mr Chhabra said.
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Chhabra → reduce → conflict
He said MZ's career in the NSW Police Force would make him a target in jail, and that the time he would serve in protective custody would be more onerous.
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he → say → custody
"That he may come face to face with people he arrested or prosecuted…that is a real punishment… and that ought to be reflected in the sentencing exercise," Mr Chhabra said.
uncertain
Chhabra → come → exercise
The Crown, represented by barrister Rohan Cooley, said a serving police officer should have known better.
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officer → represent → Cooley
"The offender must have known because he was a police officer that this would be a consequence," he said.
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he → know → ?
He acknowledged the report of sexual abuse and PTSD, but did not believe it "impaired his ability to appreciate the seriousness or potential consequences of his actions".
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it → acknowledge → actions
Mr Cooley told the court MZ had shown no sense of wrongdoing over his actions.
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MZ → tell → actions
"There's clearly no expression of remorse," he said.
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he → be → remorse
The defence had previously acknowledged the absence of an expression of remorse.
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defence → acknowledge → remorse
Judge Hogan adjourned the matter for sentencing at Gosford District Court on December 11.
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Hogan → adjourn → December
He has been suspended from the NSW Police Force without pay while his employment is under review.
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employment → suspend → review
The Aporia
