Sydney mum is planning to sue the New South Wales Police for the wrongful arrest of her daughter in 2012. Judy Timbery was “appalled” by how the police treated her daughter Melissa Dunn when they arrested her for swearing.

During a night out in January 2012, the 16-year-old Aboriginal girl was celebrating a friend’s birthday with their other teenage friends, several of whom were intoxicated, when she was arrested for swearing by the police. She was charged with resisting and hindering police, although a magistrate later ruled her not guilty.

In the CCTV footage of Dunn and a friend’s arrest in Sydney, the police are seen chasing and dragging the teenager when she tried to flee after hitting the police van with her hand. She was tackled to the ground and dragged back to the police van. She fought and fell before being rendered unconscious when she hit her head on the pavement. The footage was obtained by ABC’s 7:30 program.

Dunn was later released but charged with resisting and hindering police. She was ruled not guilty by the magistrate in August. Three days after the trial ended, she was found dead in a park in Maroubra after committing suicide. She had an argument with her boyfriend prior to the incident, her friends had claimed.

Apart from declaring Dunn not guilty, the magistrate also found out that the arresting police officer used “an inordinate amount of force” in subduing Dunn. Internal police investigation also said that the arrests of Dunn and her friend Noeleen Kane were unnecessary but lawful. The police should have just issued the girls court attendance notices.

However, the investigation did not find evidence of criminal misconduct by the officer’s actions or of anything that suggested Dunn’s arrest and trial contributed to her death. The arresting officer was counselled and retrained.

Timery told ABC that she was disgusted by how the police treated her daughter during her arrest. “Seeing how he handled my daughter, we’re supposed to trust the police, and when you see something like that, who can you trust?”

She is still angry at the arresting officer, and is planning to lodge a civil claim over the incident.

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