Minister's 'whinge' about 'that female' ahead of arrest

Former NSW government minister Milton Orkopoulos complained to a police chief inspector about "that female detective" investigating complaints against him as his career was "going up in smoke".

The Labor MP asked his wife to call his ministerial colleague in charge of police when he was arrested less than two months later.

Orkopoulos, 65, is on trial in the NSW District Court and has pleaded not guilty to 28 charges, including sexual offences against underage boys he allegedly supplied drugs to over the course of a decade, ending in 2003.

Beginning his evidence on Thursday, Orkopoulos said he began smoking cannabis in high school, around the age of the boys he's accused of supplying.

Earlier on Thursday, "that female", Detective Sergeant Kristi Faber gave further evidence as the Crown closed its case.

She was present during a phone call between Orkopoulos and her superior officer in September 2006.

"I've got this speed freak … making allegations of sexual assault. I've got an employee that believes it and is off sick. My whole career is going up in smoke," Orkopoulos complained, as recalled by Det Sgt Faber.

She said the detective chief inspector on the other end of the line asked Orkopoulous: "What do you want me to do about it?"

Orkopoulos replied: "I don't know, I'm just having a whinge. This all started with that female detective going around talking to people."

The month before that call, Orkopoulos complained he was being harassed by a relative of a boy.

The then-minister was not in his Swansea electorate office when Det Sgt Faber arrived for a pre-arranged meeting, or for a second pre-arranged meeting to discuss his complaint.

Then another complaint came, this time against Orkopoulos.

"The focus of the investigation shifted," Crown prosecutor Cate Dodds said.

"Yes, we still had the initial investigation, we then had a separate investigation," Det Sgt Faber said.

Finally, a meeting took place on August 18, 2006.

Orkopoulos said he had heard from "drug-type people" that the man he complained of harassing him was "handing these things out", and denied there were any other complainants.

Det Sgt Faber then visited other complainants.

"He was immediately upset, he was teary, you could tell he was upset we were there," she said of one, when asked if he knew Orkopoulos.

The same man was "quite shaky" after wearing a listening device into Orkopoulos' office and emerging with a $50 note from the minister, Det Sgt Faber said.

In November 2006, police received warrants to search Orkopoulos' homes, electorate office, a room in parliament house and his ministerial office.

They found child abuse material under his mattress in his Redfern rental.

Det Sgt Faber was invited into the Orkopoulos' home the next night along with the detective chief inspector that had called Orkopoulos in September.

Orkopoulos asked his wife to call then-police minister John Watkins as he was taken into custody.

"You shouldn't have to waste your time with this sort of thing," Det Sgt Faber later noted Orkopoulos saying on the way to the police station.

The trial continues.