{
  "id": 638430,
  "title": "Ex-NSW cop cleared of one sex offence, hung jury on other charges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/ex-nsw-cop-cleared-of-one-sex-offence-hung-jury-on-other-charges",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-12T06:40:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/nsw-cop-cleared-of-sex-offence-hung-jury-on-four-charges/106965988"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A former police officer in New South Wales was cleared of one sex offence but faced a hung jury on four other charges, according to a trial that concluded after a week of deliberations. David Robert Blackbourne, who was serving as a police officer in 1998, allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl in a town near the NSW-Victoria border. He was charged with multiple counts, including sexual intercourse without consent and misconduct by a holder of public office. The jury found him not guilty of one count of assault with an act of indecency, but couldn't reach a verdict on the remaining four charges. The case was discharged by Judge Hew Baker SC, and the matter has been relisted for later in the month. Blackbourne, now 56, was arrested in 2023 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The prosecution presented two recorded phone calls as evidence, which helped the complainant remember details about the alleged incident from 1998. The defence argued that the complainant's memory of key events might have been influenced by her conversations with her former boss. The trial's outcome will be revisited later this month.",
  "summary": "A jury has found David Robert Blackbourne not guilty on one count of assault with act of indecency, but was unable to reach a verdict on multiple other sexual assault charges.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former NSW cop David Blackbourne cleared of one sex offence",
    "Jury hung on four other charges, case discharged by Judge Baker",
    "Charges included rape and misconduct, relisted for later in month"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The acquittal on one count and hung jury on others leaves the former police officer's legal fate uncertain, with the case to be revisited later this month.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}