A former Wollongong police officer has been found not guilty of historical child sexual abuse.
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He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Malcolm George Cox was facing two counts of sexual intercourse with a person under 16, which were alleged to have occurred in Corrimal in the 1980s while he was a police officer in his early 20s.
The Crown said the alleged victim was 14 or 15 when this took place, and if Cox believed otherwise, it was not reasonable for him to do so.
The defence contended that she was 16 or older, and if she was not, Cox honestly and reasonably believed she was older.
Cox started working for the police force in 1986 and met the girl when she was shoplifting at markets in the Wollongong area.
A jury of 12 took less than an hour to reach a not guilty verdict in Wollongong District Court on Thursday.
The alleged victim committed a break-in in early 1988, when she was 15, and she gave evidence to the court that she had sex with Cox before this occurred.
Defence barrister Sharyn Hall asked the jury to consider the evidence in the context of Cox's character.
"Honest, humble, salt of the earth. Loved and respected by his community... That's the way Mr Cox was described," Ms Hall said.
Cox hugged his wife as they left the courtroom and was visibly relieved with the outcome.
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