The wife of a late Tasmanian police officer has been questioned over her husband's alleged inappropriate dealings with children and the draining of his mother's bank account in the years prior to his death.
WARNING: This story touches on themes of suicide and child exploitation allegations
Senior Sergeant Paul Reynolds, 54, died by suicide in September 2018.
At the time, he was facing serious child exploitation allegations — including that he had been sending explicit messages to children.
A coronial inquest into his death — and that of three other police officers — has heard that on the night before his death, Senior Sergeant Reynolds was visited at his Westbury property by officers from the Professional Standards Command.
They were there to search the property after allegations he had sent and received child exploitation material, and that he had groomed young men, including members of the local Deloraine Football Club, into doing unlawful acts.
In court on Wednesday, his widow Sharon Reynolds was asked by counsel assisting the inquiry Cameron Lee if she noticed her husband behaving suspiciously.
Cameron Lee: "Did you know your husband was sending what we describe as dick pics to children?"
Sharon Reynolds: "No."
CL: "Did you have any suspicion?"
SR: "No."
CL: "Were you aware he was making any inappropriate comments to children via social media platforms?"
SR: "No."
CL: "Did you know he was receiving inappropriate pictures from children?"
SR: "No."
Questions over mother's finances
The inquiry heard Sharon and Paul Reynolds gained power of attorney over Paul's mother Beverley Reynolds' finances, not long after she was admitted to a Smithton nursing home in 2014.
At that time, Beverley Reynolds had $165,457 in her bank account. Two days prior to Senior Sergeant Reynolds' death, she had just $31.68.
Sharon Reynolds said the couple had access to Beverley's account and statements but she never checked them and did not notice the steep decline in the balance until after her husband's death.
"Prior to Paul's death, I had no knowledge that any money coming out of it was expended other than for her purposes," she said.
"After the fact, and seeing the bank statements, I have no idea why he did what he did."
Mr Lee asked Ms Reynolds if she could explain a number of transactions from Beverley's bank account in 2014.
CL: "General Pants Company, $289.75?"
SR: "Don't know, sorry."
CL: "Do you know if Beverley Reynolds ever wore any clothing from the General Pants store?"
SR: "Not aware, sorry."
CL: "7th February, Alannah Hill, $69?"
SR: "No sorry, I don't know."
CL: "8th February, Twelve Apostles Helicopter Flights, $335?"
SR: "No don't know sorry."
CL: "Do you know whether Beverley Reynolds ever took a helicopter flight when she wasn't at the nursing home?"
SR: "I don't, sorry."
The court heard in the decade prior to Senior Sergeant Reynolds' death, he and his wife had been living in police houses, and at the most recent property were paying just $6,000 per year in rent.
Ms Reynolds said the couple had savings, although they had been depleted by the recent sale of a property at a loss.
However, she could not explain evidence from Tasmania Police's Professional Standards Command unit that her husband had sent a text to a man in Devonport saying he "urgently needed $50,000" just two weeks leading up to his death.
"Do you know why your husband might've urgently needed $50,000 at that time?" she was asked.
"No, no idea," she replied.
The inquiry is also looking into the deaths of Constable Paul Hunt, Constable Simon Darke and Sergeant Robert Cooke, and will resume in Hobart on Thursday.
