Nine News reporter goes to court over alleged police impersonation
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News reporters thrive on drama; it's their bread and butter. Yet, sometimes, a story unfolding right before their eyes can take an unexpected turn.
This was precisely the case for Georgie Dickerson, a reporter for Nine News Darwin. She recently found herself thrust into the spotlight for the wrong reasons, facing allegations of impersonating a police officer to obtain CCTV footage at a service station in 2022.
Despite the charges, Ms Dickerson has continued to work at Nine News Darwin, where she's been a reporter for two years.
Ms Dickerson appeared in the Darwin local court, surrounded by her colleagues, her mother, the network's Darwin General Manager, and four close friends.
The court session featured a recording that captured Ms Dickerson approaching the counter of the United Service Station in Holtze, just south of Darwin, on October 17th, 2022.
The video, though silent, depicted a conversation between Georgie and the service station supervisor, Sameer Devkota, leading to her being granted access behind the counter.
According to prosecutor Lee Campbell, this is where the trouble began. Allegedly, Ms Dickerson claimed to be a Northern Territory police officer to gain access to a recording made the previous night concerning a citizen's arrest by government MLA Mark Turner.
Mr Devkota told the court he had at least two years of service station experience and that on the day in question, he was expecting the Northern Territory police to legitimately view the footage.
He recounted that Ms Dickerson arrived saying she was from the police, and without checking for any form of ID or paperwork, he allowed her access to the recording.
'One lady came to look at the footage, and I asked her where she was from, and she said NT Police,' he said.
The court heard that due to high amounts of crime in the area, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for both uniformed and plain-clothed police officers to show up multiple times a month to view the CCTV footage at the service station—and that no documents or name was usually required in order to grant access.
When asked if Ms Dickerson had revealed she was a reporter—and not a police officer—at any point, Mr Devkota stated no.
'Before the incident, we didn't ask for ID, but after the incident, we asked,' he said.
In cross-examination, Ms Dickerson's lawyer, Mary Chalmers SC, suggested that Mr Devkota had 'panicked' and concocted a story after being reprimanded by his boss upon discovering what had happened.
She went on to allege that the police officer found Mr Devkota 'red-handed' the next day, showing the same recording to MLA Mark Turner, which directly violated the law.
Ms Chalmers further questioned the possibility of a misunderstanding due to the 'busy' environment and Mr Devkota's wearing of an Airpod in his left ear.
These queries were eventually conceded by Mr Devkota. The court also called upon the service station's manager to give testimony.
The case will continue next week to hear more evidence from MLA Turner and the investigating police officer.
Members, what are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below.
This was precisely the case for Georgie Dickerson, a reporter for Nine News Darwin. She recently found herself thrust into the spotlight for the wrong reasons, facing allegations of impersonating a police officer to obtain CCTV footage at a service station in 2022.
Despite the charges, Ms Dickerson has continued to work at Nine News Darwin, where she's been a reporter for two years.
Ms Dickerson appeared in the Darwin local court, surrounded by her colleagues, her mother, the network's Darwin General Manager, and four close friends.
Georgie Dickerson was captured on CCTV footage speaking to a service station supervisor in Holtze. Credit: NT Courts.
The court session featured a recording that captured Ms Dickerson approaching the counter of the United Service Station in Holtze, just south of Darwin, on October 17th, 2022.
The video, though silent, depicted a conversation between Georgie and the service station supervisor, Sameer Devkota, leading to her being granted access behind the counter.
According to prosecutor Lee Campbell, this is where the trouble began. Allegedly, Ms Dickerson claimed to be a Northern Territory police officer to gain access to a recording made the previous night concerning a citizen's arrest by government MLA Mark Turner.
Mr Devkota told the court he had at least two years of service station experience and that on the day in question, he was expecting the Northern Territory police to legitimately view the footage.
He recounted that Ms Dickerson arrived saying she was from the police, and without checking for any form of ID or paperwork, he allowed her access to the recording.
'One lady came to look at the footage, and I asked her where she was from, and she said NT Police,' he said.
The court heard that due to high amounts of crime in the area, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for both uniformed and plain-clothed police officers to show up multiple times a month to view the CCTV footage at the service station—and that no documents or name was usually required in order to grant access.
When asked if Ms Dickerson had revealed she was a reporter—and not a police officer—at any point, Mr Devkota stated no.
'Before the incident, we didn't ask for ID, but after the incident, we asked,' he said.
In cross-examination, Ms Dickerson's lawyer, Mary Chalmers SC, suggested that Mr Devkota had 'panicked' and concocted a story after being reprimanded by his boss upon discovering what had happened.
She went on to allege that the police officer found Mr Devkota 'red-handed' the next day, showing the same recording to MLA Mark Turner, which directly violated the law.
Ms Chalmers further questioned the possibility of a misunderstanding due to the 'busy' environment and Mr Devkota's wearing of an Airpod in his left ear.
These queries were eventually conceded by Mr Devkota. The court also called upon the service station's manager to give testimony.
The case will continue next week to hear more evidence from MLA Turner and the investigating police officer.
Members, what are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments below.
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