A Perth jury that asked for urgent counselling because of the "sickening and confronting" material they were having to view has convicted a former long-serving WA policeman of drugging, sexually abusing and indecently recording 13 women.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content that some readers may find disturbing.
Adrian Trevor Moore, 52, who was once nominated for officer of the year, had been on trial in the District Court for the past month accused of 87 offences including sexual penetration without consent, sexual coercion and aggravated indecent assault.
His crimes were committed over a 12-year period and for all but one of those years, Moore was a senior constable in the WA Police force.
He met most of the women through online dating sites such as Tinder and RSVP, and he used the police computer system to look up the details of some of them — something which prosecutor Adam Ebell alleged was "a degree of targeting".
Moore readily admitted being interested in BDSM and "dominant/submissive" role-playing, and maintained that while some of the alleged sexual acts did not happen, those that did were consensual.
The 13 complainants all gave evidence at the trial, some of them testifying that while they did agree to some of what Moore wanted, they did not consent to what was depicted in hundreds of images and videos of them found on his electronic devices.
They also said they either had no, or just a hazy memory, of their encounters with Moore, and most maintained they had no recollection of any device being used to record them.
Catalogued database of 'extremely sickening' sex abuse
However, the results of those recordings, thousands of videos and images of explicit sexual acts, were later found by police methodically catalogued and stored on Moore's electronic devices.
A couple of hundred were presented as evidence in the trial, and shown in court during hearings that were closed to the public and the media.
While the jury members were warned on the first day that the evidence was likely to be confronting, they found it so disturbing that midway through the trial a note was sent to the judge. It read:
"Several of the jurors … are finding it very difficult to cope with the ... extremely graphic, explicit, sickening and confronting evidence being presented at this trial."
"We, therefore, request counselling for our jurors on an individual basis be made available as soon as possible, rather than have to wait until the end of the trial."
The note caused so much concern among the defence team that Moore may not receive a fair trial, that an application was made to discharge the jury.
Barrister Mark Trowell KC argued the note suggested the jury may have already reached judgement before hearing all the evidence in the case.
He said he was particularly concerned about the use in the note of the word "sickening", arguing it was an emotive term and suggested the jury members could now not be dispassionate and objective in their deliberations.
Mr Trowell also said giving the jury members access to counselling was unorthodox because it would mean they would be exposed to an external third party during the trial.
But Judge Troy dismissed the application, ruling that nothing in the jury's note enabled him to conclude that it had pre-determined the case.
Judge Troy said it was not surprising the jury described the material in the way it did, but the defence was still able to put forward its argument that the women would be prepared to consent to what was happening, or that Moore had a reasonable but mistaken belief they had consented.
He said he was not satisfied the note gave rise to any suspicion that the jury would not discharge its task impartially.
The judge approved the request for counselling but directed the jury members that while the trial was still on, they were not to discuss with their counsellor any of the issues they were going to have to decide.
Victims 'knew what I was after': Moore
Moore testified at the trial and maintained that while some of the acts he was alleged to have done did not happen, the others were all consensual — some he claimed were suggested by the women themselves.
He told the court there was always discussion with the women beforehand about each other's sexual preferences, with Moore saying he wanted to make it clear that the women "knew exactly what I was after".
When asked what he would have done if any of the women had said no, he repeatedly replied "I would have stopped", telling the jury there was "no doubt" in his mind they were all consenting.
He also denied drugging any of the women and maintained that if they could not properly remember what happened, it was because they were intoxicated by alcohol.
The jury deliberated for six-and-a-half hours over two days before unanimously delivering guilty verdicts on all 87 charges levelled against him.
Case involved 'degree of sadism': Judge
After the jury delivered its verdicts, Judge Troy thanked the members for their service, saying he "greatly regretted" they had to see such "confronting imagery".
He said while state prosecutors had sought to have the trial heard before a judge sitting alone, Moore had not consented to the application, so it was "unavoidable" that a jury had to view the material.
Judge Troy remanded Moore in custody until he faces a sentencing hearing in December.
The judge said he would have to make some findings of fact for the sentencing, but it was his preliminary view that the case involved "a degree of sadism" that was "unprecedented" in his experience.
Some of the women were in court for the verdicts.
Afterwards, Detective Inspector Simone Van Der Sluys, who worked on the case, said the rulings marked the end of a long and complex investigation.
"On behalf of myself and the investigation team, we hope this brings some closure to the victims of these horrendous crimes," she said.
"The Sex Assault Squad will continue to support the victims."
It is not the first time the 28-year veteran of the force has been behind bars.
In 2019, he was sentenced to six months in jail for using the police computer to access the details of almost 100 women, including some of those he sexually abused, to determine if they were "suitable" dates.
He pleaded guilty to 180 charges, with the Perth Magistrates Court hearing Moore had been nominated in 2011 as police officer of the year.
Moore was also fined $2,000 for possessing images of bestiality.
It was the investigation into those crimes, by police internal affairs, that led to Moore's depraved sexual abuse of women being uncovered.
