Police prosecutors feel betrayed by a colleague who sold methamphetamine during court breaks and passed police intelligence to his drug associates.
Tim John Russell Sarah also arranged a drug deal from inside the Auckland District Court, and sold methamphetamine on his lunch break.
Intercepted phone conversations led police to conclude that Sarah had dealt 21g of the class A drug to nine people over two years.
Justice Kit Toogood described the hypocrisy and cynicism as "breathtaking".
Sarah was sentenced at the High Court at Auckland yesterday to four years in prison. He had earlier pleaded guilty to five charges including supplying methamphetamine and dishonestly accessing the police intelligence computer system to get confidential information.
The former Auckland District Court prosecutor was a non-sworn police staff member and played for the police rugby team.
One of his former colleagues said police prosecutors have been left in shock and feel betrayed.
Speaking on condition that he was not identified, the persecutor said there is a high-level of trust amongst the profession.
"To now have the knowledge of what his actions were ... A lot of people used to socialise with him."
The prosecutor said Sarah would ask about prosecutions, and remembering those conversations is difficult.
"I used to go to lunch with him, and a lot of people went to lunch with him and he would sometimes just wander off ..."
The court heard from Crown prosecutor Robin McCoubrey who said the offending had tarnished the reputation of police.
"As he sat in the District Court, no doubt prosecuting drug offenders, he was arranging a drug deal, and in the court break he concluded the drug deal. In the Crown's submission, that goes beyond hypocrisy."
Details of Sarah's offending were revealed in court yesterday.
Sarah accessed the police intelligence computer more than 80 times, and searched for information on people connected to his drug dealer.
On one occasion he warned the drug dealer that one of his friends should not be spoken to because police were watching him. He also sent a warning to another man, advising him to leave Auckland.
On another occasion, Sarah told his drug dealer that he would wait for one of his police colleagues to leave their desk so he could check the police computer under their log-on.
"The point is, Mr Sarah, you accessed the computer for whatever information you could find for the benefit of your drug dealing friends," said Justice Toogood.
Sarah's lawyer Ron Mansfield said his client threw himself into training after witnessing a traumatic "incident".
He had used the methamphetamine to help with his training.
Mr Mansfield did not refer to what that incident was but sources have told APNZ that Sarah witnessed a young woman setting herself on fire while inside the Auckland District Court. Sarah was involved in saving the woman.
Mr Mansfield said Sarah received counselling but was later found to have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He also asked the court to keep in mind that the methamphetamine was heavily cut and only five per cent pure - compared with P which is usually 70 per cent.
Mr Mansfield said his client had undergone counselling and had made efforts to rehabilitate himself. He urged Justice Toogood to consider home detention.
But the judge started his sentencing by rejecting the possibility of a community sentence.
"It does not adequately reflect your disgraceful nature which has brought you here."
He said Sarah's offending had breached the trust of the public and his colleagues
The judge referred to 22 references from family, friends and former law colleagues that supported Sarah.
He took time off Sarah's sentence for his early guilty plea and the fact that Sarah had done voluntary community work and sought help for his drug problem.
Outside court, the officer in charge of the investigation - Detective Senior Sergeant Lloyd Schmid - said police would not tolerate criminal behaviour by their own staff.
"Criminal offending by police staff is not only unacceptable, but it is also extremely disappointing for other staff and the organisation as a whole," said the detective who is attached to the Organised and Financial Crime Agency (OFCANZ).
After the hearing, Mr Mansfield said his client was truly sorry for what he had done.
Asked how Sarah would cope in prison, he said everyone would appreciate the strain on his client.
He said Corrections knows Sarah's background and who he is.
"They will appreciate that there is a potential for him to be a target."
Sarah will likely be the subjected to a full assessment and would receive protection on the inside, Mr Mansfield said.
Corrections declined to comment on what they do for prisoners who could face threats.
