By Star Weekly
A former Wyndham councillor and decorated police officer has pleaded guilty to serious sexual offences against two female victims.
Mark Steven Rose began to weep loudly after he admitted three charges in the County Court last Tuesday.
The court heard the former police sergeant sexually penetrated two victims in incidents in July and August 2018.
The identity of the victims and details of the crimes cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.
Mr Rose buried his face in tissues and continued to weep after Judge Paul Higham allowed him to step down from the dock.
Mr Rose resigned from Victoria Police early this month – less than a fortnight before entering his guilty plea – after 26 years in the force.
He is a recipient of the National Medal for Police Service, was an executive member of the Police Association and served in the Australian Air Force.
In 2010, Mr Rose resigned after seven years on Wyndham council, and cited escalating work and family responsibilities as the reason for his decision.
Mr Rose ran for the seat of Altona in the 2010 byelection called in the wake of the resignation of Lynne Kosky but lost to Labor’s Jill Hennessy.
He was joined on the campaign trail that year by then-opposition leader Ted Baillieu.
Mr Rose also staged a failed bid for State Parliament in 2006 in another seat.
Mr Rose has been allowed to remain on bail ahead of a plea hearing in April next year.
He is living in Queensland.
By Chris Vedelago, The Age
