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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Tim Piccione

Cop accused of intimidating witness, lying on legal document

A police officer has been accused of intimidating a witness involved in his alleged case of intentionally making a false legal statement in a professional capacity.

Daniel Robert David Jones, 30, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday, charged with intentionally making a false statement in a statutory declaration and giving false or misleading information in relation to an application.

He was arrested, charged and bailed last month.

The now-suspended Australian Federal Police protective services officer, who has pleaded not guilty to the allegations, was refused conditional liberty after partly admitting to a number of bail breaches.

Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said Jones faced serious charges, "which by their very nature reflect questions of his honesty and integrity".

Details of the alleged offending were not revealed on Thursday but the court heard Jones was accused of providing false and misleading information relating to a statutory declaration in his capacity as a police officer.

A statutory declaration is a legal document, signed before an authorised witness, which declares a truthful statement of fact.

On Thursday, Jones partly admitted to breaching one of his bail conditions, namely not being within 100 metres of a particular witness in his ongoing case.

Daniel Jones has been suspended from his duties as an AFP officer. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

"He's a law officer who's aware of the importance of court orders," Commonwealth prosecutor Natasha Purvis said.

Jones was arrested on Wednesday after the witness, a woman he knows, claimed the man drove past her house on a number of occasions "beeping his horn excessively".

"These are not merely slip-ups," the prosecutor said.

The court heard the "patterned behaviour" was "designed to intimidate" in "continual defiance" of court orders, despite warnings.

Defence lawyer Peter Woodhouse said his client had understood he was allowed to drive along the road where the witness lives and which he frequently uses.

Mr Woodhouse said Jones had beeped his car "out of habit", as he did with many people he knew, and that he "wasn't trying to intimidate her".

"Your honour can't conclude it's anything nefarious," the defence lawyer said.

Mr Woodhouse asked the court to impose a bail condition ordering Jones not to be within 500 metres of the witness' home.

The court heard the alleged offender had been suspended from his duties as a police officer since being charged last year and had since been working as an electrician.

In a statement addressing Jones' breach of bail and court appearance, the Australian Federal Police said it was "committed to transparency".

"No further comment will be made while this matter is before the court," the statement said.

Ms Walker granted Jones' conditional release on December 13 last year after he breached bail conditions set only the day before.

On that occasion, she said she had made a "very finely balanced decision" and geared his conditions towards ensuring the integrity of evidence.

Following his most recent breaches of those conditions, the Chief Magistrate said she was satisfied the man's release into the community created a "significant risk".

Jones was remanded in custody and is set to return to court next month.

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