Alleged police paedophile secretly accessed porn, childcare websites, court told

A veteran Victoria Police member who is facing paedophilia charges secretly purchased a laptop and visited pornography and childcare websites while on bail, a court heard.

Riccardo “Rick” Rossi, a long-standing protective service officer, has been charged with 17 counts of child abuse offences, including the repeated sexual assault of a two-year-old.

The 68-year-old is accused of producing, sending and possessing child abuse material over a two-year period, and sexually abusing a two-year-old in November and February.

Rossi, from Frankston North, was first charged in May following an internal Victoria Police investigation led by the force’s Professional Standards Command.

Detectives seized more than 8000 child abuse files on his devices following his arrest, a court heard on Wednesday.

Rossi was back in court after breaching bail conditions by secretly purchasing a laptop on June 26. He then used the laptop to frequently access a series of pornography websites, including a webcam-enabled porn site.

The court heard Rossi had also visited childcare websites and websites designed for kids on the secret laptop on multiple occasions.

Commonwealth prosecutor Miriam Kelly urged Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano to revoke bail, telling the court the case against Rossi was “overwhelming”.

Kelly said they had seized material that allegedly shows the 68-year-old abusing the toddler.

“The [possession] charges alone – and he has seven of those – carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years,” Kelly said.

“If convicted, he will service a lengthy term of imprisonment.”

His alleged offending dates back to January 2024 and continued until his arrest in May, charge sheets reveal.

The 68-year-old was initially granted bail with strict conditions over his internet usage and was instructed to inform his bail officer about the devices he owned.

Detectives arrested Rossi over the bail breach on July 29, a month after he purchased the secret laptop.

He has been held in custody while police conducted analysis on the device and his mobile phone to examine whether he had accessed child abuse material.

Detective Sergeant Colin Grist, from the Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit within Professional Standards Command, said he has “significant” concerns about Rossi’s conduct.

Grist told the court the accused was making “deliberate attempts” to breach his bail conditions by using a VPN – virtual private network – a service that can effectively hide a user’s internet activity and IP address.

“He had very strict and clear bail conditions, and his position as a long-serving member of Victoria Police should have given him the foresight and knowledge of how to abide by those conditions.”

The court heard that while an analysis of the laptop did not find Rossi had accessed child abuse material, it could not be totally ruled out because of the VPN.

Rossi’s bail application was supported by his daughter and son-in-law, who the court heard is a Victoria Police sworn officer.

Caltabiano refused to grant Rossi bail despite a $5000 surety and his daughter and son-in-law promising to live with and monitor the accused.

He fined Rossi $1000 for the bail breach but chose not to convict him over the offending due to his age and lack of criminal priors.

“I’m not imposing a prison term – which I had contemplated and would have in other circumstances,” Caltabiano.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said in May that the alleged offending occurred while Rossi was off-duty. He has been suspended without pay as the case continues.

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