NSW senior police officer charged with child sex offences

An NSW police officer has been arrested and charged with multiple child sex offences that spanned for more than a decade. Senior Constable Dean Michael Perkins, who had given cyber safety lectures as a youth liaison officer in Sydney schools, has been suspended since he was arrested about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday.

Perkins, 43, has been charged with aggravated act of indecency, two counts of aggravated indecent assault, attempt sexual intercourse with a child under 10, grooming child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity, two counts of have sexual intercourse with a child 10-14, and peep or pry. He allegedly committed the offences between 2007 and 2018.

He was arrested by detectives from the Professional Standards Command, assisted by the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad, on Thursday. He has been refused bail.

His lawyer, Richard Waldersee said he would be pleading not guilty to all offences, asking the judge to allow him to post bail as his safety was at risk in jail.

“My client has already heard people yelling, ‘there is he,’ and has had his cell door kicked in by other inmates,” Waldersee said. The defence lawyer also argued that Perkins never had a criminal history in all his law enforcement career of 16 years. He was apparently of “good character.”

However, Magistrate Geoff Hiatt said the prosecution case was stronger than the defence argument. Perkins shouldn’t be given “preferential treatment” because of his job as a police officer.

The senior constable had been a school liaison for years as an officer in the NSW Police specialist youth command, often being invited to talk about cyber safety to students.

Perkins is scheduled to appear at Penrith Local Court on Dec. 21.