An accused paedophile Victoria Police Protective Service Officer secretly accessed pornography and childcare websites while on out bail.
Riccardo “Rick” Rossi, 68, was released on bail with strict conditions after being arrested in May and charged with sexually abusing a two-year-old girl, and possessing 8,000 child abuse files. He is accused of abusing the toddler in November 2025 and May 2026 while off-duty.
The Frankston North man was then re-arrested in July after he was caught with a laptop he had secretly purchased on June 27, and used to access pornography, childcare and kids’ websites via a VPN on multiple occasions.
Rossi, who is facing 17 child sex charges in total, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he unsuccessfully applied for bail, The Age reported.
Detective Sergeant Colin Grist, from the Sexual Offences and Family Violence Unit within Professional Standards Command, told the court Rossi had made “deliberate attempts” to breach his bail conditions, and that the VPN use meant it could not be ruled out that Rossi had accessed child abuse material.
“He had very strict and clear bail conditions, and his position as a long-serving member of Victoria Police should have given him the foresight and knowledge of how to abide by those conditions,” Det Sgt Grist told the court.
Rossi offered a $5,000 surety, and the court heard his daughter and son-in-law, who is a sworn Victoria Police officer, had promised to live with and monitor him.
But Commonwealth prosecutor Miriam Kelly said the case against Rossi was “overwhelming” as police had seized child abuse material showing him sexually abusing the young girl, and told the court that if convicted he would be given a “lengthy term of imprisonment”.
Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano refused bail and fined Rossi $1,000 for the bail breach, but spared him a conviction after taking his age and lack of criminal history into account.
“In my view, there is a significant risk that Mr Rossi will continue to utilise the internet services to access various sites and there is a significant risk associated with that conduct in light of the charges he is facing,” he said.
“I’m not imposing a prison term – which I had contemplated and would have in other circumstances.”
Header image: Left, right, Rick Rossi.
