A Canberra magistrate launches a scathing attack on two police officers he said used unlawful force in the arrest of a man they had stopped for suspected drink driving in December 2020.
A Canberra magistrate has launched a scathing attack on two police officers he said used unlawful force in the arrest of a man they had stopped for suspected drink driving in December 2020.Then then appear to push him to the ground, before placing him in hand cuffsBody cam vision released by the ACT Magistrates Court shows the officers pulling the man from the car, handcuffing him and shoving his face into the gutter, while they wait for other police to bring them a breath-testing kit.
Magistrate James Lawton said the pair were aggressive and treated the man in a cruel and degrading manner."The [alleged] offender appears frightened and disoriented." The two officers had followed the man after he crossed Limestone Avenue, allegedly running a red light."Out of the car mate," one of the officers said."Hands behind your f***ing back now, c***.""Give me your arm," the officer said.Magistrate Lawton described the officers' claim they were concerned the man would keep driving as disingenuous."There was an unlawful use of force."The actions of these officers [were] deplorable and should be denounced.
Later footage also showed the man failing to provide a breath test and struggling to understand the instructions of police. Magistrate Lawton said the evidence of him failing to supply a sample at the road side should be excluded from the case.But the man will still face a charge of failing to provide a sample at the police station, after Magistrate Lawton found the earlier behaviour had not ruled out the second alleged offence.
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