Johannes Mangurra was charged with assaulting police officers and resisting arrest after he was tasered inside Numbulwar Police station in the Northern Territory in August 2019.
Police pepper-sprayed and tasered the 24-year-old. He then bit police officers during a scuffle on the ground.
His lawyers labelled the treatment in police custody as “outrageous” and argued the force used by NT police was unnecessary.
The Northern Territory Supreme Court handed down a verdict that the actions of the police officers had “escalated rather than de-escalated the situation”.
“There is a reasonable possibility that acceding to his [Mr Mangurra’s] request to speak to a lawyer before he was handcuffed and taken to the cells would have de-escalated the situation and avoided the need for force,” Justice Kelly wrote in her decision.
If you’ve been affected by police action within a police station, contact O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors.
Sarah is a civil solicitor who primarily practices in defamation, intentional torts against police, privacy and harassment.
