A police officer has told an inquest he was justified in using his Taser a second time, after distressing footage of Brazilian student Roberto Laudisio Curti wailing was shown to a Sydney coroner.
The cross-examination of Senior Constable Eric Lim, who fired the Taser that brought Mr Curti to the ground for the final time, continued in the Glebe Coroners Court on Wednesday.
Sen Const Lim maintained he was justified in using his Taser a second time, even after footage showed he did so while the man was on the ground, handcuffed, surrounded by police and with another officer's knee on his abdomen.
The 21-year-old, originally from Sao Paolo, collapsed and died on March 18 this year after four of the 11 police officers trying to capture him discharged their tasers at him 14 times.
The officer has repeatedly said that after bringing Mr Curti to the ground with his first taser discharge, he discharged his Taser again 40 seconds later because Mr Curti was "bucking" the five other officers off him.
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But Peter Hamill, SC, said video footage from Sen Const Lim's Taser clearly showed Mr Curti was trying to turn on to his side to get the other officer's knee off him.
"Roberto, restrained and handcuffed, is trying to breathe," Mr Hamill said.
"... You maintain in the face of this footage you were justified in tasering (Mr Curti) a second time?"
"Yes," Sen Const Lim replied.
Footage from another police officer's Taser was also played, in which Mr Curti could be heard wailing repeatedly while on the ground.
Mr Hamill told the court the video showed Mr Curti being drive stunned - where the Taser is applied directly to the body - about five times by another officer.
"There appears to be someone laughing (in the video)," Mr Hamill said.
Sen Const Lim maintained he did not hear Mr Curti's cries for help or anyone laughing.
The court has heard he was standing about a metre away from the young man.
Mr Curti's two sisters left court before the video was played but other family members were visibly distressed by the footage.
NSW State Coroner Mary Jerram said she would not be making the video available publicly.
The inquest continues.
