Cop charged with perjury over NRL star Jack de Belin’s court case had acted with ‘reckless disregard’ and should have been ‘benched’

The former police officer charged with perjury over NRL star Jack de Belin’s court case has been lashed by a District Court judge, saying he should have been benched.

New South Wales Police have confirmed that a former police officer has been charged with perjury following an extensive investigation into a sexual assault case heard in the Wollongong District Court in February 2020. 

The Wollongong cop, Detective Senior Constable Shawn Adams, has been charged over evidence he gave during de Belin’s sexual assault court proceedings.

Detective Senior Constable Adams was strongly criticised by Judge Andrew Haesler for his conduct in the investigation at the time.

Judge Haesler said Detective Adams acted with ‘reckless disregard’ for accessing information which he was not entitled to view and should have ‘benched’ himself from the investigation into the alleged rape of a then 19-year-old Wollongong woman. 

The Wollongong trial ended in a hung jury, and at a second trial in Sydney a jury found both de Belin and co-accused Callan Sinclair not guilty of one count of sexual assault against the woman. 

The jury could not reach a verdict on the remaining four charges, leading the Director of Public Prosecutions to not proceed with a third trial. 

Detective Adams was then subject to a a disciplinary investigation.

The former Detective Senior Constable was then charged with perjury relating to de Belin’s case in the Wollongong District Court in February 2020.

‘In 2021, officers attached to Professional Standards Command commenced Strike Force Ephemeris to investigate the conduct of officers involved in the court case,’ the NSW Police media statement read.

‘Following extensive inquiries and upon receiving advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, police have charged a former Detective Senior Constable with giving false evidence under oath amounting to perjury. 

‘The 48-year-old man was issued a future court attendance notice to appear before Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, 19 June 2024. Investigations under Strike Force Ephemeris continue.’

Both de Belin and Sinclair consistently maintained they were innocent of the allegations and had pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

The parents of de Belin and Sinclair previously expressed their anger over the long delays in the internal investigation following two high-profile trials. 

“This is not good enough, our lives are on hold,” Cathy, de Belin’s mother, stated at the time.

Following the trials, the families of the men decided to come together for a discussion, firmly believing that the police targeted their sons.

Mrs. de Belin shared her conviction that her son was never given a fair opportunity in court. 

“The hardest of campaigns was driven to incarcerate two innocent men, one of whom made a moral mistake only,” she said at the time.