Warning: This article contains mentions of violence against trans women.
A New South Wales police officer has been jailed after being found guilty of violently assaulting a woman and falsifying details of her arrest.
Senior Constable Mark Follington will spend a minimum of 18 months behind bars, having been given a 30 months sentence by Magistrate Michael Crompton at his latest court appearance in Sydney’s Downing Street Centre. The ABC has reported on the story.
The police officer, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was found to have committed the crimes at an earlier court appearance back in May this year.
Follington unlawfully arrested Anya Bradford at a pub in Liverpool, Sydney in May 2019. He and another officer were checking IDS of people in the venue as part of an anti-drug crackdown. Bradford, who was sitting in the venue’s gaming room, declined to show her ID and attempted to leave the venue.
The court saw CCTV footage that showed Follington grabbing her arm, and slamming her head into an ATM, before following her to the lobby of a parole office, where he continued to attack her. An other officer used pepper spray and a taser on her.
The officer later claimed on a police report that Bradford had assaulted him, the video evidence showed that no such assault had ever occurred.
During the trial Follington said Bradford was acting suspiciously because she didn’t smile at him.
“People normally come up and say hello, she was keeping her eyes down,” he said.
Sentencing the officer to a minimum jail term of 18 months the Magistrate said his crime “struck at the very heart of the criminal justice system”.
During the trial lawyers representing Bradford argued that the court should view her as a vulnerable person due to her identity as a woman who is transgender.
Follington’s legal team have indicated that they will appeal the verdict.
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au (Webchat 3pm – midnight)
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: 9364 6909 / waamh.org.au / wearedischarged@gmail.com
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
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