A police officer who admitted to sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl when he was a teenager has not been sacked by Victoria Police.
Conor McCurley, 26, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he accepted responsibility for the offending against the child before he donned the badge.
Daily Mail can reveal McCurley remains employed by Victoria Police albeit suspended without pay.
Police officer Conor McCurley was required to deliver a public apology to a woman he sexually offended against when she was a child
A Victoria Police spokesperson would not answer any further questions about McCurley’s future with the force.
‘At this stage the 26-year-old is currently suspended without pay … there is nothing more to add,’ came the statement.
McCurley was charged with 17 offences including numerous counts of committing indecent acts with or in the presence of a child under 16 and one count of ‘sexual penetration’.
The cop avoided conviction after agreeing to admit to his vile offending as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that allowed him to be sentenced under the court’s diversion program.
Under Victorian law, diversion plans are often handed down to first-time offenders and are designed not to impact on a person’s life going forward.
Under the diversion plan, McCurley was not required to formally plead to the charges and instead simply made admissions to the charged offences.
While he was not convicted of a crime, Victoria Police has some history of dismissing officers that have been exonerated of serious charges.
Former detective Murray Gentner was sacked despite being cleared over a scandal involving the release of Dani Laidley’s photo in custody.
Controversial former drug squad officer Paul Dale was also shown the door despite never being convicted of a crime.
McCurley’s return to the beat remains highly unlikely given the facts of his case.
Mr McCurley avoided conviction and was placed on diversion. Picture: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly
His sordid tale made national headlines in September when it was revealed he was set to be married to his partner Kim Trajcevski.
McCurley was charged on August 16 following an internal police investigation by Victoria Police’s Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit.
The news came just weeks before he was due to wed his fiancée of two years at the picturesque Acacia Ridge Winery in Yarra Valley, which costs $13,800 to hire for the venue alone.
The couple’s wedding-countdown website showed a timeline of their love story, detailing how they met in May 2020, bought a block of land together to build their first home in January 2021 and were engaged by May that year.
Ms Trajcevski – now McCurley – stood by her man throughout the court proceedings.
Last week, in an emotional impact statement to the court, his victim, now aged in her early 20s, said her entire life changed as a result of McCurley’s actions.
‘I was left to hold the disgusting secret,’ she said.
‘I started to feel like I was the problem… I felt like I was losing control of my life.’
Kim McCurley (left) stood by her husband throughout his court appearances
The court was told the woman confronted McCurley years after the abuse ended, with the First Constable complaining he had been ‘painted in a horrible light’.
‘It was a young ignorant boy’s mistake,’ he responded to her via text message.
But the woman told the court what he described as a ‘mistake made me feel like it had cost most of my life’.
‘I have been called vengeful and spiteful for seeking justice,’ she said, her voice breaking.
‘You’re taking a young man’s dream away, they say – yet I feel like my childhood was taken away.’
The court was told McCurley was suspended from Victoria Police without pay after internal investigators charged him just weeks before his wedding.
The sexual offending occurred when McCurley was a teenager and before he joined Victoria Police.
The case was initially set down for a committal hearing to determine if McCurley should face trial after lawyer Caroline Salter last year said he denied the allegations.
But on Tuesday prosecutor Matthew Fisher declared the case ‘had resolved’.
He told the court both the prosecution and defence agreed the case was suitable for diversion.
‘At first blush a member of the public may say it’s outrageous for it to be dealt with in this way,’ he said.
‘But we say there are powerful factors at play in reaching this position.’
Mr Fisher said both the woman and a senior crown prosecutor had agreed diversion was the right course of action.
Conor McCurley, 26, was charged weeks out from his Yarra Valley wedding.
After hearing from both parties, Magistrate Malcolm Thomas agreed, saying despite the serious offences he was of the view it was ‘appropriate to grant diversion’.
‘In my view this allows (the complainant’s) voice to be heard, gives her agency and forces McCurley to acknowledge his actions publicly,’ he said.
Mr Thomas said a ‘powerful factor’ in his decision was the woman’s support for diversion and for her to avoid the ‘deeply traumatic’ experience of giving evidence at trial.
‘It is an unfortunate feature of the system that requires complainants to describe in great detail… often the most painful memories in their life,’ he said.
As part of the diversion, McCauley was required to give a public apology, pay $7,500 in compensation, donate $2,500 to a charity of her choosing and be of good behaviour for a year.
Standing in the witness box on Tuesday afternoon, McCurley kept his head low as he said he was ‘deeply sorry’.
‘I know what I have done has caused irreversible damage,’ he said.
‘I want you to know I fully acknowledge my behaviour and how it made you feel.’
Requiring McCurley to stand before the court, Mr Thomas described his behaviour toward the woman as ‘absolutely disgusting’.
‘You should feel a great sense of shame for the things you did and you should carry that shame.’