00:01Trent Matters was a well-respected and long-serving police officer.
00:06Now he's a convicted criminal and will spend the rest of the year behind bars.
00:10The 52-year-old Australian Federal Police Detective had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a count of perjury,
00:16admitting he knowingly made false sworn statements while giving evidence in the ACT Magistrates Court in 2020.
00:23The prosecution argued the lies Matters told were deliberate, repeated and maintained.
00:28This is an offence that strikes the heart of the administration of justice. This is not a minor lapse of
00:34judgement.
00:35Matters was described by the defence as an overworked officer who was experiencing significant stress, pressure and fatigue,
00:42but the court heard he had admitted his offending was the dumbest thing he has ever done.
00:47He is remorseful, he has demonstrated insight, he has taken accountability.
00:51The defence argued he would be exposed to a heightened level of risk in any prison,
00:56due to the national media attention he received through his involvement in investigating Brittany Higgins' rape allegation.
01:02But in handing down his sentence in the ACT Supreme Court, Justice David Mossop said,
01:07The conduct reflects a tragic misjudgment.
01:10The perjury was career destroying and undermines the proper administration of justice.
01:15Justice Mossop sentenced him to almost a year in prison, to be suspended after four months,
01:21after which he'll be subject to a good behaviour order.
01:24Due to his time in the police force in the ACT, the court heard it's likely he'll spend his time
01:29behind bars in NSW.
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