Mr Bonner has pleaded not guilty to the charge of dishonestly influencing a public official.

He was called to give evidence on Wednesday and told the court how the neighbours had been terrorising his family in the lead up to the phone call.

They held 24-hour parties, and when the music was silent the dogs, of which he said there were seven, would start up, he said.

Mr Bonner said it got to the stage dog barking sounds were played through the stereo.

The noise was debilitating to his wife and daughter, who was trying to study at university, while he would use sleeping pills to get to sleep only to wake a couple of hours later.

He said they had called before to make a complaint and his daughter thought she heard a policewoman respond and speak to the neighbours.

Then, that night, they heard smashing glass, and someone had thrown what looked like brown paint across their freshly painted wall, smashed a bottle and thrown rubbish over the fence. They made a complaint of criminal damage.

They would move to his sister's house on the weekends and tried to sell the house.

They had one offer before it was withdrawn when the prospective buyers came over and saw cars everywhere, including on the lawn.

They later accepted a price tens of thousands lower than the bank value.

On the day of the alleged offence Mr Bonner said when he left home for a shift starting at 4pm there were more than 100 people at the neighbour's Halloween-themed party.

He said the street was clogged with cars and people had been drinking all day. He was worried about building aggression and simmering contempt from the neighbours.

Mr Bonner broke down on the stand as he recalled speaking to his wife at home later that night and how she sounded strange.

He said he could hear the favourite song "F--k you Stu" going in the background. Mr Bonner said he was psychologically and emotionally tapped out.

"I was freaking out a bit by this stage," he told the court.

"Because the progression of these people was violence.

"I needed someone to go check they were okay."

He said the purpose of the phone call was not to cause trouble but to check his family was safe.

After police left he heard from his wife who told him to get the car back there because there was a man at the front door, which he said was highly unusual.

"I guess my worst fears were coming true," he said.

It was then that he communicated to police that the callout was about his wife and daughter. In the call played to court Mr Bonner said the people were threatening his family with violence and saying “f—k you Stewart”.

Mr Bonner said he was stood down from the police in October 2016.

"Was it the phone call ... that brought your career to an end?" his barrister James Stewart asked.

"Yes."

Under cross examination by the Crown, Mr Bonner said he didn't want to go over to the house in uniform and in a marked police car because the situation would explode.

He admitted making the phone call to police and also admitted lying when, speaking as the neighbour he was impersonating, he told the police that someone had once trashed his car.

He was asked if he had deliberately searched the police system for someone of his gender and age to impersonate.

"You give me far too much credit," he said. "At this stage I was falling apart."

The trial continues.