What happens when you are charged with a crime?

What happens when you are charged with a crime?

CONSERVATIVE 2GB radio broadcaster Ray Hadley has revealed through tears he feels “inadequate as a father” after his police officer son was charged with drug possession.

His only son Daniel Hadley, 28, a NSW police constable with the North West Metropolitan Region, was arrested and charged after allegedly trying to buy cocaine from a dealer on Friday.

In a press conference on Saturday afternoon, an emotional Ray told reporters he was “angry and perplexed” when he first learned that Daniel had been arrested in possession of 0.79 of a gram of cocaine, worth about $200.

“I brought Daniel back home and my anger turned to shock and sadness,” he said.

“I had no idea my son, a respected police officer, would be involved in such a matter.”

The high profile broadcaster, who is also a spokesman for RUOK Day, said he felt “particularly inadequate as a father” because his “own son is not OK”.

“This is going to be a long, slow process for my son. I love him dearly and I wish to God that he’d come to me before this morning to tell me what he was battling,” Ray said.

Daniel had been off work for months with a dislocated knee and hernia, according to his father. But it was only overnight he learned that his son has been “battling mental health issues for quite some time”, he said.

“The serious nature of his illness is such that he’s been admitted to a clinic immediately,” Ray said.

“Daniel accepts responsibility for his behaviour but unfortunately is not in control of his mental health.

“I now know how many parents feel when they think things are okay when they’re not.”

The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that Daniel was off-duty and under surveillance when he attempted the purchase the illegal substance at the Australian Hotel and Brewery in Rouse Hill, in Sydney’s west. Officers allegedly found cocaine on him before he was charged with possession of a prohibited drug.

Constable Hadley, who started his police career in May 2012, was named St Marys Local Area Command Police Officer of the Year in 2014. Then St Marys Inspector Jason Green described Daniel at the time as “one of the highest performing officers in the command” and said he was nominated for his “professionalism, diligence, consistency, enthusiasm and commitment to duty”.

Daniel has been granted conditional bail but his future with NSW Police is now under review. He has been suspended from duty in the interim.

His father has been a strong anti-drug campaigner on his radio show and in his newspaper column. Ray this morning excused himself from appearing on the 2GB Continuous Call Team’s Saturday show, citing “family matters”. He was also a no-show for the station’s coverage of an annual league match at the Mick Cronin Oval in Gerringong, on the NSW South Coast. His on-air replacement Mark Levy told listeners Ray would address the issue of his son’s arrest later in the program.

Ray and Daniel reportedly share an extremely close relationship. Daniel’s Facebook page used to feature a photograph of a tattoo on his left upper arm depicting a radio microphone and the word “Dad”. Ray is the father of four children.

Daniel will appear before Parramatta Local Court on September 12.

— With AAP





megan.palin@news.com.au | @Megan_Palin