Canberra Raiders NRL player Curtis Scott will sue police for a six-figure payout over his Australia Day arrest, his lawyer says.
Scott was cleared of seven charges relating to an incident in which he was found intoxicated and asleep under a tree in Sydney's Centennial Park.
Police body camera footage shown in court confirmed that Scott was handcuffed, tasered and capsicum by officers. It was also claimed that a female officer deliberately stood on Scott's foot and twisted his ankle. Magistrate Jennifer Giles branded his arrest "unlawful".
Scott's lawyer Sam Macedone confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald that his client would proceed with legal action.
"We sought a transcript of what happened in court, which I've now got. I'd say we'd be in the process of issuing a statement of claim hopefully before Christmas," Macedone said.
"It should never have got to court, but I couldn't talk them out of it.
"I made it quite clear very early on in the piece that if they withdrew, there would be no application for costs. But they saw fit to run it, so game on. Next year, it will come to roost."
Macedone said that Scott had endured a traumatic period, had lost sponsorship and said of a potential payout: 'It would be a minimum of six figures."
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.