SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

NSW police cleared of assault, perjury

A group of policemen have been found not guilty of charges almost six years after a man was allegedly bashed at a NSW police station.

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Five policemen have been cleared of charges stemming from the alleged bashing of a man in custody at a NSW police station.

Senior Constable, Mark Woolven 45, Constables Ryan Charles Eckersley, 36, and Luke Christopher Mewing, 31, Probationary Constable Lee David Walmsley, 26, and Sergeant Robert Campbell McCubben, 49, were on Tuesday found not guilty of various charges, including assault and doing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice, almost six years after Corey Barker was taken to Ballina station in January 2011.

But the District Court jury will continue its deliberations on Wednesday in relation to a sixth officer, Senior Constable David Hill.

CCTV footage, which appeared to show Mr Barker being thrown to the ground, attacked and dragged along the floor, was shown to the jury.

Some of the officers who were on duty that night later claimed in similar statements that the prisoner had thrown at least one punch first.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

But the blow wasn't captured on the CCTV footage played to the jury in the early days of the trial.

The court also heard that Hill's statement about the incident, sworn on January 19, 2011, was emailed to some of the other officers to help them prepare their own statements for the court case against Mr Barker.

Each officer's statement, read to the court, said Mr Barker had been yelling abuse and threats, and punching and kicking the walls of the perspex dock where he was initially held.

The statements were backed by CCTV footage showing Mr Barker beating and kicking out at the walls of the holding dock.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world