A Sydney police sergeant has been found guilty of using her authority to avoid being randomly breath tested by a junior colleague.
Sarah Louise Johnston, 50, refused a RBT at North Sydney on January 8, 2016.
The court heard Johnston drank at least one schooner of beer while celebrating the new year with colleagues from North Sydney Police Station at two nearby pubs.
Johnston was driving home to the Central Coast when she was pulled over at a RBT site on the Pacific Highway at Crows Nest.
Officer Tugcan Sackesen told the Downing Centre District court he felt "intimidated" when Johnston said it would be a conflict of interest if he breath tested her.
"I was taught to respect authority and she's a sergeant of police and I'm a probationary constable with a year's experience," he said.
He said she told him it would put him in an "awkward situation" if she blew over.
"She was confident and stern," he said.
"The manner in which it was said came across as a little bit aggressive to the point I believed she was telling the truth and I was wrong."
The jury found Johnston guilty of one count of doing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice.
She will face a sentencing hearing on December 1.
AAP
