Hannah Thomas, a former Greens candidate, will sue New South Wales police after all charges against her were dropped. Thomas was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June, where her lawyers allege she was punched in the face by an officer.
On Tuesday, at Bankstown local court, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew three charges against the 35-year-old. These included a rarely used emergency power introduced after the 2005 Cronulla riots. Thomas had pleaded not guilty to resisting police, failure to comply with a move-on direction, and refusing to comply with a direction to disperse.
Thomas’s solicitor, Peter O’Brien, said outside court that civil proceedings would be filed against the state of NSW in the supreme court, alleging malicious prosecution, assault and battery by police, abuse of process, and malfeasance in office. “The charges were clearly unsustainable from the very beginning,” O’Brien said.
Thomas expressed relief but said the dropping of charges was “far from justice”. She criticised Premier Chris Minns for enacting “draconian” anti-protest laws, which she claimed emboldened police to act violently. She noted that four other protesters from the same action still face charges.
Charges against another protester, Zach Schofield, were also dropped on Tuesday. Thomas continues to suffer double and blurred vision due to surgery on her right eye, and awaits a third operation. No police officer has been held accountable for the alleged punch, she said.
