Another graphic video has revealed further allegations of police misconduct involving Ballarat police officers during the third day of an anti-corruption inquiry.
Video footage played during the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission examinations in Ballarat have shown a sergeant and constable pulling on the arms of, and carrying a woman, who had attended the Ballarat Police Station to complain about the treatment of her son.
Sergeant Christopher Taylor told the inquiry the woman, known as Person B, arrived at the station on December 8, 2010 accusing police of harassing her son who had been intercepted earlier over allegations of hoon driving.
“She threw his licence at me,” he said.
“She stated he had a licence, I tried to explain because he had a physical licence it didn’t mean it was current.”
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Assisting Counsel Jack Rush QC put to Sergeant Taylor he was “abusive and aggressive” during the CCTV footage.
“I became more forceful for her to leave… I was trying to explain the situation to her, but she didn’t want to listen,” he said.
“That’s when I decided it was time for her to leave.
“When I first walked out I let her have her say… the minute I walked out she was abusive.”
Sergeant Taylor told the inquiry he had asked the woman to leave five or six times while directing her out of the station.
The CCTV footage showed Sergeant Taylor and a female constable grabbing the woman by the arms and carrying her towards the station’s interior door where she was arrested.
Mr Rush asked Sergeant Taylor whether he thought the situation could have been avoided, in which he replied “looking back now, yes”.
“Would you say you were angry?”, Mr Rush asked during Wednesday’s public hearing.
“I wouldn’t say I was calm,” Sergeant Taylor replied.
Sergeant Taylor denied putting his knee into the back of the woman and when asked also denied being told by other police officers to “take it easy”.
He told the inquiry the incident was dealt with internally and he was given workplace guidance for not taking the complaint on the night.
Sergeant Taylor also gave evidence about the incident involving Person A, a 51-year-old female police officer who was kicked and stomped on after being arrested for being drunk in a public place in January of last year.
He told the inquiry he was off duty on the night, but later took control after Sergeant Renee Hulls was taken to the hospital.
He said it was when the woman was dragged from the storage room she ran into after being pepper sprayed when she said “It’s OK, I’m one of you”.
“I thought this was odd,” he told the inquiry.
The hearing heard this encouraged him to take further investigations with professional standards, who confirmed the woman was a member of their office who had been on leave for the previous 12 months with mental health issues.
He was asked whether he passed this information onto other members on the night, in which he said he passed the information on when Sergeant Hulls returned to the station hours later and also briefed the duty inspector at the time, Peter Greaney, who was not in the area.
Mr Rush put to Taylor wasn’t it appropriate to ensure someone with mental health issues was being monitored.
Sergeant Taylor said while it was a high priority it wasn’t something he did.
The hearing continues.
