State government admits police officer battered Hannah Thomas during pro-Palestinian protest
Former Greens candidate for Grayndler Hannah Thomas, sporting a bandage covering her injured eye after the incident last year. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
In short:
Lawyers for the state government have admitted a police officer battered former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Sydney last year.
Ms Thomas brought a civil claim against the state after she was hospitalised needing surgery and had charges against her dropped.
What's next?
An officer involved in the incident has been charged with occasioning bodily harm and is due to face court again later this year.
Lawyers for the state government have admitted a police officer battered former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas at a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney's south-west last year, court documents have revealed.
Ms Thomas brought a civil claim against the officer and the state government after she was hospitalised and required a number of surgeries as a result of the incident outside a manufacturing business in Belmore in June.
All charges against her were later dropped and a police officer was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The state's written defence to Ms Thomas's statement of claim shows police conceded the 35-year-old suffered "harm and damage" when an officer punched her in the eye while holding a police torch.
"The State admits the first and third use of force constituted a battery," it read.
Ms Thomas's lawyers described the alleged act in a paragraph that was conceded by the defence.
"[The officer] punched the Plaintiff's right eye with his right hand, causing the Plaintiff to scream, as well as causing immediate bleeding and swelling … At the time of the punch, [the officer] was holding a police torch in his right hand."
Lawyers for the state government also admitted Ms Thomas was falsely imprisoned during her arrest.
Hannah Thomas had all charged against her dropped. (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
"The Plaintiff's arrest was unlawful as immediately prior to and at the time of the Plaintiff's apprehension, the apprehending officers had no reasonable grounds to suspect that the Plaintiff was committing or had committed an offence," Ms Thomas's lawyers said in a paragraph also accepted by the defence.
The documents reveal the state has also admitted Ms Thomas will be entitled to damages but has denied their pursuit of charges against her was in breach of their duty.
NSW Police declined to comment on the developments.
"As the matter is currently litigated in the courts, it is inappropriate to respond at this time," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The incident took place outside SEC Placing, a manufacturing company that protesters allege supplies components used in Israeli strikes in Gaza.
The company has denied those claims.
After the incident, senior police told ABC News that "no issues" had been identified, but the matter was later referred to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission for a critical incident investigation.
An officer was charged with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm in September, which was later upgraded to grievous bodily harm.