A Far South Coast policeman has told a court he believes his use of force on a 14-year-old boy was moderate and within police guidelines.
Senior Constable Brett David Lindsay will attend his second day of hearing today in Batemans Bay Local Court, where he’s pleaded not guilty to three charges of assault against two teenagers while arresting them.
The officer and his partner were investigating a possible nearby home invasion.
Under cross examination Senior Constable Lindsay denied he was lying to the court and had concocted evidence after leaving details out of the official police record about his use of force on the juveniles including punching one in the upper chest area.
He told the court he was in his thirteenth hour of the shift and about to end his block.
“It was a summation of events that occurred,” he said.
The court was played body worn camera footage where the 14-year-old, who we can’t name because he is a minor, can be heard asking Senior Constable Lindsay what he was being arrested while refusing to sit down on the ground.
After several requests, the officer moved him to the ground.
The officer is also heard saying “Want a f-ing punch? You’ll f-ng get one!”
The footage showed the policeman allegedly punching him to the colarbone area with his right fist while holding a torch.
Senior Constable Lindsay is heard saying “you’re under arrest for whatever you’ve done.”
In the body worn camera vision, the teen can be heard saying “Do you think you got a bit rough there c***?”
The officer is heard responding “Shut Up”, then read him his rights and put handcuffs on him.
The hearing will continue today.
Senior Constable Lindsay is currently suspended from duty.
*The image above was edited with AI tools to only remove people standing in the background as it may lead to identifying the victims who are the subject of ‘non-publication’ laws.
