MEDIA RELEASE – 14 JULY 2025
As previously communicated, Hannah Thomas has been charged by the police with failing to comply with a direction to move on and resisting the police.
Update on Hannah Thomas’ Case
Peter O’Brien states:
“It is not ordinary in a criminal prosecution for a lawyer to comment on the case against their client. However, there are such stark and serious concerns raised by the objective evidence in relation to this prosecution that require immediate public response. This is especially so where comments have been made by senior police officials and politicians downplaying the gravity of the incident, apparently justifying police actions and comments that have been detrimental to my client’s position. My office has now viewed all available footage of the incident giving rise to the moments leading to the injury to Ms Thomas’ eye on the 27th of June, and I am satisfied that Ms Thomas was punched in the face by a male police officer, causing extensive and serious injury to her eye.
We are further satisfied that Ms Thomas was an innocent victim of gratuitous police brutality and excessive use of force, actions that were completely and entirely unjustifiable. I have written to the NSW Police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitting that the charges against Ms Thomas be withdrawn and dismissed. Our firm is now furnished with instructions to proceed with a civil claim for compensation against the State of NSW for the actions of the NSW police officers connected to her apprehension, injury, detention, and prosecution. Torts likely to be pursued against the State include assault and battery, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office, and collateral abuse of process. It is our position that the charges against Ms Thomas are wholly unsustainable and should be immediately withdrawn. The charge of resisting police could never be sustained as the police officers were plainly acting outside of the execution of their duties, in both trying to enforce an unlawful direction and using excessive force, with brutal and life-changing consequences.
The charge of failing to comply with a direction will most certainly fail as the direction was plainly and on its face unlawful, and reflected the directing police officer’s complete misunderstanding of the law. It is noteworthy that this occurred against the backdrop of the State government’s attempt to broaden police powers in relation to public assemblies such that they are arguably contrary to constitutional principles, possibly bolstering police officers’ attitudes and animosity against protesters. It cannot be known what goes through the mind of a police officer who uses gratuitous violence like this, but the context and timing appear unavoidably revealing.”
– Peter O’Brien, O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors
Please contact or call (02) 9261 4281 for any media enquiries.
Peter O'Brien
Peter is the Principal Lawyer and founder of O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors. Peter is a highly experienced criminal defence and civil lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in NSW and interstate.
