Chilling moment woman realises cop she’s dating has been following her on CCTV
He was supposed to be using police cameras to watch criminals.
Instead, Victorian police officer Sam Hansen used them to keep tabs on the woman he was dating.
“I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel like I can trust police,” Lisa said. A Current Affair
Lisa Lewis claims Hansen used police surveillance systems to track her every move – monitoring CCTV cameras across Melbourne and following her through traffic lights.
Hansen later pleaded guilty to unauthorised use of police information.
After receiving a court diversion and a demotion, he remains a serving Victoria Police officer.
The pair had met online, and Lewis says the red flags were there early on.
“Now looking back on it, there were signs that I did see, a couple of things he did that I thought, oh, that’s a bit controlling.“
Hansen worked in covert surveillance, and Lisa said her first major concern came on New Year’s Eve when he suggested checking how busy Geelong was.
Lisa Lewis claims Hansen used police surveillance systems to track her every move. A Current Affair
He pulled up live CCTV footage on the laptop they used to watch movies.
However, it was an encounter months later that left Lewis worried Hansen had begun watching her.
She was in a car park on the way to an event and had spoken to him on a video call.
The call only showed the upper half of her body, so she was shocked when Hansen suddenly mentioned her shoes.
“I was confused, you know, and I hadn’t seen him that day, so how would he know I had white sneakers on?” she said.
“And then he goes, ‘look up’.“
Lewis said Hansen was referring to a CCTV camera above her.
“That confirmed what I had been thinking: that he’d been watching that whole time,” she said.
Hansen later pleaded guilty to unauthorised use of police information. A Current Affair
Lewis said Hansen then pulled out his phone and showed her traffic camera footage from her trip home.
“He was showing me on his phone going through all the lights.“
By then, she was questioning how much of her everyday life he had been able to see.
Lewis eventually ended the relationship and told Hansen she did not want him using cameras to watch her again.
But Lewis had something Hansen may not have expected - cameras of her own.
Security cameras she installed at home to watch her dog captured conversations between them, including one exchange about Hansen watching her.
Lewis eventually broke it off with Hansen, telling him she did not want him watching her again. A Current Affair
Lewis, who works in the adult industry, believes her job title affected how her complaint was handled by police.
“There was a part of me that felt that I was being discriminated against. Like, who are you going to believe?” she said.
“Are you going to believe a sworn-in police officer saying, ‘No, I did not watch her on CCTV cameras’, or are you going to believe a sex worker?“
Hansen pleaded guilty to a charge of unauthorised use of police information.
The court granted him a diversion, meaning he could avoid a criminal conviction by complying with conditions it imposed.
He was demoted, though remains a serving Victoria Police officer.
A Current Affair approached him for answers, asking about Lewis and how members of the public could trust him as an officer. He did not respond.
Lawyer Jeremy King of Robinson Gill Lawyers said cases involving officers could be difficult to prosecute.
“You’ve got people who know the system, they know how to work the system, and they’re also inherently usually respected by the system.
“So courts will always give police officers the benefit of the doubt.“
But for Lisa, one concern remains: the officer she says watched her through police cameras is still wearing a badge.
“I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel like I can trust police.”
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
Statement from Victoria Police
As the matter remains subject to ongoing court proceedings, Victoria Police is unable to provide further comment on the case or respond to questions relating to the allegations, the investigation or matters raised by parties connected to the proceedings.
We can confirm the officer is currently transferred to other duties pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation which will commence once the matter is finalised at court.
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