A police officer accused of sharing details about ex-AFL coach Dani Laidley's arrest claimed he searched for information on his day off because he was thorough and "obsessed".
Murray Gentner was on leave when Ms Laidley was arrested in May 2020 but told investigators he frequently logged into the police internal database to check up on alleged offenders in the local area he covered as a detective.
He is facing six charges, accused of sharing police information and breaching his duties as a police officer after discussing Ms Laidley's arrest in a police WhatsApp group called the "SD1 Gentlemen's Club".
When questioned by investigators Gentner said it was his responsibility to keep up with local incidents, and that his need to do it even on days off and holidays was an "obsession".
But prosecutor Neill Hutton disputed Gentner's claim during a contested hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
He said Gentner, a detective, did not look at information about a missing person, multiple robberies, multiple car thefts, an arson offence or criminal damage reports that had also been reported.
"His reasonable excuse for accessing information, which is 'I'm a really good cop that keeps abreast of everything in my area' is belied by the fact he did the opposite," he said.
"He didn't go into the robberies and thefts and things you might think are the bread and butter of a detective."
Gentner is accused of disclosing information he read in those records, including that Ms Laidley was remanded overnight and sharing details of the alleged victim.
He's also accused of described Ms Laidley as a "full blown ice head and tranny" in the chat, as well as sharing a screenshot of her mugshot and remand records
Gentner isn't accused of leaking that photo. He told investigators in an interview played in court last week that he shared it with the group out of concern for how serious the situation was.
