In short:
An Aboriginal woman who was tasered by officers during an arrest at a Canberra bus stop in January is suing ACT Policing.
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who → tasere → Policing
Police body-worn camera footage shows the woman, who also has an intellectual disability, being pulled to the ground and held face down by two male police officers.
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face → wear → officers
A representative of the Aboriginal Legal Service described the vision as "horrifying" and called for independent police oversight.
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representative → describe → oversight
Warning: This story contains footage that some readers may find distressing.
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readers → contain → footage
A woman who was tasered by police is suing seven ACT police officers over actions a magistrate has described as "unwarranted and exceedingly heavy-handed".
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magistrate → tasere → actions
Officers were called to the Canberra suburb of Deakin in January after a report from a member of the public that a woman with a knife was yelling at passing cars and threatening to stab occupants driving past.
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woman → call → occupants
When they arrived, one officer aimed his taser at the woman and told her she was under arrest for having a knife in a public place.
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she → arrive → place
"I haven't got a knife," she replied.
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she → get → knife
"I haven't done anything wrong bro, please don't taser me."
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I → do → me
Police body-worn camera footage obtained by the ABC shows the woman, who is Aboriginal and has an intellectual disability, being pulled to the ground and held face down by two male police officers.
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face → wear → officers
The footage shows another officer triggering a taser on her bare back.
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officer → show → back
After that, police can be seen finding two pairs of scissors in her bag, one of which was broken.
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one → see → which
A short time later, an officer threatens to "spray" the woman with capsicum spray if she "keeps trying to fight".
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she → threaten → spray
The body cam footage also shows handcuffs were placed around her wrists at her back, and she was moved headfirst onto the floor of the caged section of a police vehicle.
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she → show → vehicle
Special Magistrate Sean Richter watched the video footage during an ACT Magistrates Court sentencing hearing in September.
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Richter → watch → September
"I consider that the actions of the police in that matter were unwarranted and heavy-handed," he said.
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he → consider → matter
"I find it amazing that in this day and age the police reacted in the way that they did."
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they → find → way
The court heard the woman had lived with a mental impairment and neurocognitive disorder after receiving a traumatic brain injury in a car accident when she was 12.
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she → hear → accident
"It's blatantly apparent to anyone that deals with this woman that she has a significant cognitive disorder and should be treated as such," Magistrate Richter said.
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Richter → deal → disorder
Magistrate Richter, a former member of the South Australian police force, described the actions of police as "incredibly heavy-handed" in circumstances where they were familiar with the woman's vulnerabilities.
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they → describe → vulnerabilities
"She's a woman who was putting up no resistance," he said.
"
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he → put → resistance
I sometimes wonder when we lost the ability to speak to people."
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we → wonder → people
The woman, known as Emma, was charged with five offences.
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woman → know → offences
Her last name cannot be revealed because of legal reasons associated with an unrelated matter also before the courts.
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name → reveal → courts
The then-35-year-old, who was on bail at the time for other unrelated offences, spent a month remanded in custody at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
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who → spend → Centre
By the time she was sentenced in September 2026, all but one charge — possessing a knife without a reasonable excuse — had been withdrawn.
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charge → sentence → excuse
She pleaded guilty to that offence and was convicted in September.
'The public needs to see'
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public → plead → September
The Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), which represented Emma in her criminal case, said it was time police were accountable for their conduct.
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police → represent → conduct
"This footage is horrifying, but it's something the public needs to see," ALS acting chief executive Sharif Deen said.
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Deen → need → ?
"Sadly, the Aboriginal Legal Service sees evidence of this every day.
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Service → see → this
Lawsuit alleges misfeasance, assault and human rights breaches
A civil case filed on Emma's behalf accuses the Commonwealth and seven ACT Policing officers of assault and battery, breaching her human rights, and misfeasance in public office.
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case → allege → office
It alleges an officer made a series of misleading claims and omissions about the incident, which resulted in unsustainable charges being laid and the woman subsequently being refused bail.
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woman → allege → bail
It also claims the officers involved applied unlawful force during her arrest, and that they acted in a way that failed to consider and was incompatible with her human rights.
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that → claim → rights
Lawyer Michael Lalor, who is representing Emma, said the case would have major legal significance.
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case → represent → significance
"It raises questions in general about police use of force in relation to Aboriginal people, in relation to people with a disability — particularly the use of force with weapons," Mr Lalor said.
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Lalor → raise → weapons
"It also raises questions about the standards which our community is prepared to accept in relation to policing."
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community → raise → policing
Mr Lalor is seeking damages for his client.
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Lalor → seek → client
He said he was struck by his client's resilience.
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he → say → resilience
"I think to anyone who's seen the footage, you could understand the effect it might have on someone," Mr Lalor said.
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Lalor → think → someone
The defendants have not yet been required to file a defence.
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defendants → require → defence
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
