A 36-year-old Queensland police officer has been granted bail after being charged with a series of offences ranging over several years.
Detective Senior Constable John Paul Daniel McDonnell was initially charged with one count of stalking (domestic violence offence) in March, allegedly while he was off duty.
Following a further investigation, he was arrested on a slew of additional offences yesterday, including three counts of misconduct in public office, two counts of common assault, two counts of computer hacking and misuse, one count of unlawful stalking and one count of dangerous conduct with a weapon.
The 36-year-old was also charged with one count of enter dwelling and commit (domestic violence offence), one count of deprivation of liberty, one count of distributing intimate images and two counts of distributing prohibited visual recordings.
Magistrate Julian Noud said there was “a concerning allegation” that the senior constable held his police-issued firearm to his temple and threatened his life in front of one woman.
He said the officer was allegedly “verbally aggressive” towards one woman and was alleged to have “committed serious violence”, including climbing on top of her, pinning her down and restraining her movements.
He was accused of distributing an intimate image of a former partner without her consent and sending false CrimeStoppers reports in circumstances where police officers were likely to apply for search warrants.
The court heard it was also alleged that the senior constable had made unlawful recordings of court proceedings.
The ABC understands Senior Constable McDonnell’s family has strong ties to the Queensland police service, with some of his family members having served in high-ranking positions.
The matter has been adjourned until next month.
Source: Qld police officer accused of ‘serious violence’ against woman granted bail – ABC News