Corrupt detective Wayne Strawhorn loses superannuation
Katie Bice
December 21, 2007 11:27am
A CORRUPT detective who was jailed for selling drugs has been ordered to forfeit $68,000 of the superannuation he accrued while working in the force.
Detective Senior-Sergeant Wayne Geoffrey Strawhorn, 52, was sentenced to at least four years last December after being found guilty of peddling drugs to gangland figure Mark Moran.
Strawhorn had been a member of the police force for more than 25 years when he was arrested and charged in March 2003.
The Supreme Court heard he used his position as head of the drug squad's chemical diversion program to traffic 2kg of drugs to Moran for $12,000 in May 2000.
A jury found him guilty of trafficking a commercial quantity of pseudoephedrine.
Prosecutors made an application before the Supreme Court for Strawhorn's sentence to include a "fine" made up of his superannuation.
The penalty is designed as an extra punishment for people who have abused their position in public office.
Justice David Habersberger today ruled Strawhorn should pay $68,000 - the portion of his superannuation contributed by his employer between the time of his offending and his arrest.
He said he took into account that Strawhorn had significant debts, a teenage daughter to support, had not earned an income since 2003 and would find it difficult to work and support himself upon his release.
Justice Habersberger said he also considered that for the large portion of his career Strawhorn was a respected and decorated policeman.
