WA Police officer lied to wrongly charge Geraldton man: CCC
The state's Corruption and Crime Commission has found a Geraldton police officer lied and wrongly charged a driver with unlawful damage after a brief car chase in the Mid West town.
It also found those lies were backed up by the senior constable's partner in witness statements and follow-up interviews to support the driver's prosecution.
In a report tabled in parliament on Friday, the commission alleged Senior Constable Brent Wyndham breached WA Police driving policy by twice making contact with a car during the chase, including while executing a 'precision intercept technique' manoeuvre, which under the policy was only permitted in exceptional circumstances.
However, after arresting the driver, Wyndham then charged him with unlawful damage, claiming the police car was rammed first, which the commission found was a lie and which was repeated in official witness statements from the senior constable and another officer in the car, Constable Alex Miatke.
The commission formed an opinion of serious misconduct by Wyndham, and an opinion of police misconduct by Miatke, and recommended WA Police consider prosecuting Wyndham, who has since resigned.
The report detailed the incident on May 20, 2024, when the officers were searching for a silver Holden Commodore that had previously evaded police in bushland.
A car matching the description was spotted in the carpark of a softball centre, where the driver told the commission he was waiting to buy a 'half-weight' of meth, and he started to drive off as he saw the police car approach.
The police car, a Skoda, made contact with the Commodore as the officers moved to arrest the driver while moving through the car park at 'low speed', the report said, which was not enough to disable it, and it took off up the road, crossing to the wrong side before driving around the bend to a nearby street.
The Skoda was damaged, but instead of stopping and waiting for an independent sergeant to attend – as required by WA Police driving policy – Wyndham did a U-turn and set off after the Commodore, activating lights and sirens.
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A former police officer acquitted of the shooting murder of an Indigenous woman has been recommended for prosecution over a separate incident in which he rammed a car during a pursuit. Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission says its investigation found then-senior constable Brent Wyndham repeatedly lied about the May 2024 ramming incident in the regional town of Geraldton and that constituted serious misconduct. The CCC report, released on Friday, found the police Skoda driven by Mr Wyndham - who has since left the force - had made physical contact with an evading vehicle twice, causing it to hit a light pole. "The second point of contact caused the evading vehicle to spin and come to a stop," the watchdog said. "This action is called a Precision Intercept Technique or 'PIT' manoeuvre and is only permitted in exceptional circumstances." Following the incident, Mr Wyndham and his passenger Constable Alex Miatke made statements that the evading vehicle rammed them and that it presented a danger to children standing in the street. The commission said its investigation established these statements were false. "It was in fact the police vehicle that first instigated contact with the evading vehicle and there was no one standing in the street." This false information was repeated by the officers in their witness statements to support the prosecution of the evading driver for criminal damage to a police vehicle. "Fortunately in this case the actions of other police officers resulted in the charge of unlawful damage being withdrawn before a wrongful conviction could occur," the report said. The driver faced other charges, pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced. The CCC has recommended WA Police consider prosecuting Mr Wyndham and take disciplinary action against Const Miatke. In September 2019, then-constable Wyndham shot Ngarlawangga Yamatji Martu woman JC in a Geraldton street as she held a knife. He was charged and found not guilty of murder and manslaughter of the 29-year-old, who had been diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. Mr Wyndham was later promoted to senior constable before quitting the force in December 2024. The commission's investigation into the ramming incident highlighted concerns over the management of staff at the Geraldton police station and the conduct of officers when interviewing suspects. It recommends WA Police conduct a review of its emergency response driving tactics, including the use of PIT manoeuvres. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the force took any findings or opinions of misconduct very seriously and he noted the recommendations of further action against the two officers. "I will need to fully consider these recommendations before making any further statements," he said in a statement. "Consideration will also be given to the other concerns raised in the report." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A former police officer acquitted of the shooting murder of an Indigenous woman has been recommended for prosecution over a separate incident in which he rammed a car during a pursuit. Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission says its investigation found then-senior constable Brent Wyndham repeatedly lied about the May 2024 ramming incident in the regional town of Geraldton and that constituted serious misconduct. The CCC report, released on Friday, found the police Skoda driven by Mr Wyndham - who has since left the force - had made physical contact with an evading vehicle twice, causing it to hit a light pole. "The second point of contact caused the evading vehicle to spin and come to a stop," the watchdog said. "This action is called a Precision Intercept Technique or 'PIT' manoeuvre and is only permitted in exceptional circumstances." Following the incident, Mr Wyndham and his passenger Constable Alex Miatke made statements that the evading vehicle rammed them and that it presented a danger to children standing in the street. The commission said its investigation established these statements were false. "It was in fact the police vehicle that first instigated contact with the evading vehicle and there was no one standing in the street." This false information was repeated by the officers in their witness statements to support the prosecution of the evading driver for criminal damage to a police vehicle. "Fortunately in this case the actions of other police officers resulted in the charge of unlawful damage being withdrawn before a wrongful conviction could occur," the report said. The driver faced other charges, pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced. The CCC has recommended WA Police consider prosecuting Mr Wyndham and take disciplinary action against Const Miatke. In September 2019, then-constable Wyndham shot Ngarlawangga Yamatji Martu woman JC in a Geraldton street as she held a knife. He was charged and found not guilty of murder and manslaughter of the 29-year-old, who had been diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. Mr Wyndham was later promoted to senior constable before quitting the force in December 2024. The commission's investigation into the ramming incident highlighted concerns over the management of staff at the Geraldton police station and the conduct of officers when interviewing suspects. It recommends WA Police conduct a review of its emergency response driving tactics, including the use of PIT manoeuvres. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the force took any findings or opinions of misconduct very seriously and he noted the recommendations of further action against the two officers. "I will need to fully consider these recommendations before making any further statements," he said in a statement. "Consideration will also be given to the other concerns raised in the report." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A former police officer acquitted of the shooting murder of an Indigenous woman has been recommended for prosecution over a separate incident in which he rammed a car during a pursuit. Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission says its investigation found then-senior constable Brent Wyndham repeatedly lied about the May 2024 ramming incident in the regional town of Geraldton and that constituted serious misconduct. The CCC report, released on Friday, found the police Skoda driven by Mr Wyndham - who has since left the force - had made physical contact with an evading vehicle twice, causing it to hit a light pole. "The second point of contact caused the evading vehicle to spin and come to a stop," the watchdog said. "This action is called a Precision Intercept Technique or 'PIT' manoeuvre and is only permitted in exceptional circumstances." Following the incident, Mr Wyndham and his passenger Constable Alex Miatke made statements that the evading vehicle rammed them and that it presented a danger to children standing in the street. The commission said its investigation established these statements were false. "It was in fact the police vehicle that first instigated contact with the evading vehicle and there was no one standing in the street." This false information was repeated by the officers in their witness statements to support the prosecution of the evading driver for criminal damage to a police vehicle. "Fortunately in this case the actions of other police officers resulted in the charge of unlawful damage being withdrawn before a wrongful conviction could occur," the report said. The driver faced other charges, pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced. The CCC has recommended WA Police consider prosecuting Mr Wyndham and take disciplinary action against Const Miatke. In September 2019, then-constable Wyndham shot Ngarlawangga Yamatji Martu woman JC in a Geraldton street as she held a knife. He was charged and found not guilty of murder and manslaughter of the 29-year-old, who had been diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. Mr Wyndham was later promoted to senior constable before quitting the force in December 2024. The commission's investigation into the ramming incident highlighted concerns over the management of staff at the Geraldton police station and the conduct of officers when interviewing suspects. It recommends WA Police conduct a review of its emergency response driving tactics, including the use of PIT manoeuvres. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the force took any findings or opinions of misconduct very seriously and he noted the recommendations of further action against the two officers. "I will need to fully consider these recommendations before making any further statements," he said in a statement. 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Following the incident, Mr Wyndham and his passenger Constable Alex Miatke made statements that the evading vehicle rammed them and that it presented a danger to children standing in the street. The commission said its investigation established these statements were false. "It was in fact the police vehicle that first instigated contact with the evading vehicle and there was no one standing in the street." This false information was repeated by the officers in their witness statements to support the prosecution of the evading driver for criminal damage to a police vehicle. "Fortunately in this case the actions of other police officers resulted in the charge of unlawful damage being withdrawn before a wrongful conviction could occur," the report said. The driver faced other charges, pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced. The CCC has recommended WA Police consider prosecuting Mr Wyndham and take disciplinary action against Const Miatke. In September 2019, then-constable Wyndham shot Ngarlawangga Yamatji Martu woman JC in a Geraldton street as she held a knife. He was charged and found not guilty of murder and manslaughter of the 29-year-old, who had been diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. Mr Wyndham was later promoted to senior constable before quitting the force in December 2024. The commission's investigation into the ramming incident highlighted concerns over the management of staff at the Geraldton police station and the conduct of officers when interviewing suspects. It recommends WA Police conduct a review of its emergency response driving tactics, including the use of PIT manoeuvres. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the force took any findings or opinions of misconduct very seriously and he noted the recommendations of further action against the two officers. "I will need to fully consider these recommendations before making any further statements," he said in a statement. "Consideration will also be given to the other concerns raised in the report." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
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15 hours ago
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Car-ramming police officer recommended for prosecution
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