Former QLD Police Officer Jailed for Child Abuse After Years of Secrecy
Ross Kouimanis, once a respected highway patrol officer on the Gold Coast and known publicly as a devoted family man, has been exposed for horrific crimes committed in secret during the 1990s.
Kouimanis, who served 18 years in the Queensland Police Service and was later acknowledged in state parliament for his policing work, was convicted in November last year of multiple child sex offences. This month, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for his prolonged abuse of a nine-year-old boy over several years.
The crimes — which included rape, indecent treatment of a child, and assault — occurred at a Gold Coast property and involved showing the child pornography and repeated physical abuse. The survivor, who cannot be named, endured nearly two decades of silence before Kouimanis was finally brought to justice.
After his retirement from police service at age 60, Kouimanis was employed in 2012 as a government chauffeur, driving then-minister Ros Bates. She had praised him in parliament in 2013 for his past work tackling issues like hooning and graffiti.
The survivor, in a victim impact statement, described living with deep psychological scars, saying the trauma had severely disrupted his life, affecting his mental health, relationships, and employment. He expressed hope that by sharing his story, others might be empowered to come forward.
“This abuse stole my peace, my sense of self, and my ability to live a normal life,” he told the court. “I’m trying every day to rebuild from what he destroyed.”
