Senior officer 'shared photos of Dean Laidley being interviewed by police in drag with six colleagues on WhatsApp' as it's revealed they also face $40,000 in fines and two YEARS in prison
- A Victorian police officer is accused of leaking pictures of AFL star Dean Laidley
- During his arrest for stalking on Saturday night, Mr Laidley wore a dress and wig
- A male senior constable is expected to be charged after the picture was shared
- He is being interviewed by police after the breach, which was called 'appalling'
The police officer accused of leaking photos of former AFL star Dean Laidley being interviewed in drag allegedly shared the pictures on WhatsApp with six colleagues.
The unknown officer, who is a senior constable, could now face two years in prison or $40,000 in fines - with his police colleagues also in the firing line.
Mr Laidley was photographed wearing a long blonde wig and a dress after his arrest outside a home in St Kilda on Saturday night - but the photos were soon leaked.
The senior constable is expected to be charged with accessing police information without authorisation and was suspended with pay on Monday.
Six other police officers who were sent the photos by the senior constable via WhatsApp could also face charges if it's found they shared them further.
Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Patton described the dissemination of the pictures as 'appalling'.
A senior constable has since been stood down after this photo of former AFL coach Dean Laidley was leaked to the public
Photos of the 53-year-old in the station's interview room as well as his mug shot were shared on social media on Sunday.
The photos appeared on the front pages of the Herald Sun and the West Australian newspapers on Monday.
The former AFL player and coach faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday and will remain in custody until May 11 after not applying for bail.
He is charged with stalking and breaching a family violence order, among a raft of other offences.
It comes after his lawyer Dee Giannopoulos slammed the officer who leaked the picture, and said Mr Laidley urgently needed to be seen by a mental health nurse.
One photo, which appeared to show his mugshot taken from a police file, was also leaked
Dean Laidley (pictured in 2009) will remain behind bars after he was charged with stalking and other alleged offences
'Outraged that pictures of my client, taken by some police officer, on the sly, when in custody in interview have hit the media. Typical,' Ms Giannopoulos wrote on Twitter following the release of the pictures.
Mr Laidley's friends reportedly tried to get him to rehab to deal with what was described as 'out-of-control' drug use just days before he was arrested.
The AFL great's lifestyle choices have been 'an open secret' within the league for a long time, Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph told AFL Tonight on Monday.
Just a fortnight before the highly publicised arrest, those in Mr Laidley's inner circle had reportedly been urging him to check in to rehab.
'Those who knew him well knew about his drug use,' Mr Ralph said. 'They despaired against their inability to try and get him into a rehab facility.'
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton (pictured) called the photo leak 'appalling' and vowed to conduct an investigation
'No-one expected this.
'Lets face it, some of his lifestyle choices have been known, they've been an open secret in the AFL for quite some time, potentially up to decades.'
Mr Laidley reportedly demanded to be called 'Daniella' during his police interview, according to The West Australian.
His mother Carmel Friburg said she was 'just as gobsmacked as everyone' at the charges and said she had no concern about her son when they spoke last week.
'I spoke to him on Wednesday and he seemed to be OK,' she said.
'It's just hard for me to believe - he's always been level-headed, he's never been in any trouble or anything like that.'
Laidley's mother said she last saw him at Christmas time and he appeared to be his normal self other than some physical pain.
'He wasn't well... he has got something from playing football, it's like arthritis [in his knees], that he has a lot of pain with,' she said.
Mr Laidley (pictured right with Mick Malthouse) was assistant coach of the Carlton Blues in 2015
Laidley played 151 AFL games from 1987-97 and was an inaugural player at West Coast before joining North in 1993.
He played 99 games at Arden St, including their 1996 premiership before he succeeded Denis Pagan as North Melbourne coach in 2003. In 149 games, he led them to the finals three times before resigning during the 2009 season.
He then had assistant coaching roles at three AFL clubs until 2015 and is currently coach of Melbourne suburban club Maribyrnong Park.
'I am appalled an employee of Victoria Police has taken these photographs,' Deputy Commissioner Patton told reporters on Monday.
'It's appalling conduct and and it has no place in our organisation.'
'It breaches a person's privacy. It breaches their human rights and we're taking this matter extremely seriously.'
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DEAN LAIDLEY
Laidley grew up in Balga in Perth's north and played senior football for the West Perth Football Club.
He made his debut for the West Coast Eagles in 1987, where he played 52 games before being traded to the North Melbourne ahead of the 1993 season.
He won a premiership with the Kangaroos in 1996 and was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2019.
His willingness to commit to contested balls earned him the nickname of 'The Junkyard Dog'.
Laidley pictured when he signed as the coach of the North Melbourne Kangaroos in 2002 - signing a three-year deal with his former club
His coaching career includes seven seasons with the Kangaroos between 2003 and 2009.
Laidley also spent time with Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Carlton.
He and his family were attacked by bouncers at the Bounty night club in Bali after his daughter's wedding in 2011.
His son received a broken jaw while Laidley required stitches after being hit in the head with a bottle.
He is currently a coach of Maribyrnong Park in the Essendon Districts Football League, having started there in 2019.
