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Cop denies leaking information about IBAC

Gus McCubbingAAP
Commander Stuart Bateson is accused of leaking information to a junior officer from an IBAC hearing.
Camera IconCommander Stuart Bateson is accused of leaking information to a junior officer from an IBAC hearing. Credit: AAP

A Victoria Police commander has denied allegations he leaked confidential information about a secretive anti-corruption investigation to a junior officer.

Commander Stuart Bateson, 52, faces three charges after allegedly telling the woman what he'd been questioned about during a confidential August 2018 Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearing.

The probe was looking at allegations of improper influence into an investigation by task force Salus, which examines harassment and predatory behaviour in the force.

Prosecutor Sarah Thomas on Friday asked Bateson if he gave her a "heads-up" about the IBAC hearing when they met during the following week.

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Ms Thomas also asked if he used a series of hypothetical propositions to indicate what he would say if questioned by IBAC.

"No," Bateson told Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Ms Thomas also asked him about comments the woman said he had made, including that her "ass looked good in those pants" at a police station in 2017.

"I would never, ever do that in a police station," Bateson said.

The junior officer earlier said she'd met up with Bateson after he told her "we need to talk" and that he been "called in and asked questions".

"He said if he spoke about the investigation he would go to jail," the woman, who cannot be named, told magistrate Simon Zebrowski.

"I asked if it was PSC (Professional Standards Command) and he said 'no'.

"I asked if it was IBAC and he said he wasn't allowed to talk about it."

The officer also said Bateson was "fidgety and nervous" and went on to tell her "I haven't spoken about this, have I".

Bateson had twice been served a confidentiality notice by IBAC relating to its investigation, Ms Thomas said.

Two charges against Bateson relate to allegations he told the woman in September and October that year about IBAC's investigation into other police members.

The court was told Bateson pulled out an iPad showing a news article about an investigation into inappropriate relationships between senior Victoria Police officers and their subordinates.

Bateson allegedly disclosed the names of the officers referred to in the article.

He also allegedly asked the junior officer if she had been "called in and spoken to" yet.

"You're putting me in a s*** position and if I had, you know I can't tell you," the woman said she responded.

She also said Bateson later recalled being asked by investigators to name the people he'd slept with in the past five years.

He again asked if she had been spoken to and "laughed and made a joke and said maybe they're just s*** investigators", the woman told the court.

She said she'd "felt intimidated and pressured" by Bateson and "coached" about what to say if questioned.

The hearing is expected to continue on Monday.

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