Latest news with #OleoresinCapsicum
7NEWS
10-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Sydney cops plead guilty to assault after naked woman bashed, pepper-sprayed during welfare check
A naked woman suffering a mental health episode was punched, kicked, dragged by her hair and pepper-sprayed by two police officers who have admitted using unlawful force. 'You have to do what you have to do,' one of the officers, senior constable Nathan Black, told medical staff later when the schizophrenic woman was taken to Nepean Hospital in western Sydney. Black and constable Timothy John Trautsch were in plain clothes when they made a welfare check on the 48-year-old woman in an industrial area at Emu Plains on January 22, 2023. 'If you touch me, you are f***ed and I mean f***ed. They're up there watching,' she told the two officers while sitting naked on a grassy kerb. 'You don't know about the aliens, do you?' Court documents reveal the woman had been prescribed an antipsychotic but was not taking the medication at the time. Black, 28, and Trautsch, 30, first talked to the woman — who cannot be named for legal reasons — and tried to get her into an ambulance and off to the hospital. 'Done for no other purpose than the infliction of pain' Video footage played at a sentence hearing at Penrith District Court on Thursday showed the pair's violence escalating during an 18-minute assault against the woman. She was pushed onto the road, kicked twice in the head, dragged along by her hair and punched. At one stage, the two officers struggled trying to handcuff her on the ground as she lashed out with her arms. She was also sprayed six times with pepper spray, twice in the face and once on her back which was grazed after falling into the rough road surface. 'That can be done for no other purpose than the infliction of pain, to spray OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) onto a lady's back who has been at various stages dragged or fallen onto the floor,' crown prosecutor Nicholas Marney said. Some of the pepper spray got onto her genitals, the court was told. The woman's shrieks and sobs were full of expletives at the two officers. 'God, make me strong. God, make me strong,' she said repeatedly. 'God, please. I'm sorry I didn't listen. I'm sorry, God.' At one stage, the woman defecated on the road and on Black's leg. 'Wash your dirty stinky arse,' one of the officers was heard saying. The two men discussed using a Taser and long baton, while Trautsch was at one point seen laughing. The officers could have restrained the woman or just talked to her but instead chose violence, Marney said. 'It should never have got to that stage, they had an obligation,' he told Judge Graham Turnbull. There was no threat posed with the two men able to contain her by pushing her onto the road, he argued. Even as the woman grabbed for the handcuffs, this did not require kicking her in the head, Marney said. Speaking to a psychologist who gave evidence to the court, Black and Trautsch both claimed they were experiencing long-standing mental health challenges at the time of the incident. Black pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, using a prohibited weapon without a permit and three counts of common assault. He also admitted two counts of intentionally publishing protected information after sending snippets of the body-worn footage to another police officer. In a message exchange, he described how the pair had emptied two cans of pepper spray on the woman. 'The whole body worn (footage) is so good shows her being f***ed,' he wrote. Trautsch pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, three counts of common assault and one count of using a prohibited weapon without a permit. Both officers no longer work for the NSW Police Force. The woman died due to unrelated circumstances 18 months after the attack. The sentence hearing continues on July 15.
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
NT government to allow public to use pepper spray in self defence
The Northern Territory government is set to increase its safety measures by allowing the public use of pepper spray for self defence in a 12-month trial. The 12-month trial will allow the public to carry low-percentage Oleoresin Capsicum spray, better known as pepper spray, for self defence reasons and under strict legal conditions. The NT has faced law and order issues over recent times, raising concerns within the community over safety and crime. The Finocchiaro CLP government has passed a number of reforms since winning last year's election, including stricter bail laws and lowering the age of criminal responsibility. 'This initiative responds directly to community calls for more safety options and reflects the government's commitment to restoring the Territory lifestyle,' Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said. The spray is made with a nonlethal substance that an cause a painful and burning sensation, and temporarily impair vision, allowing the victims to escape, but it is not as powerful as sprays handled by police. Pepper spray is currently classified as a 'prohibited weapon' in the NT. Ms Finocchiaro said the trial would give residents 'more choice when it comes to personal safety'. 'We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed,' she said. Pepper spray will be available for purchase from licensed dealers across the NT from September 1, 2025, and will only be eligible under strict conditions A person must be over 18 to purchase the pepper spray, show valid NT photo ID and have no relevant serious criminal history or domestic violence orders. They must also be purchased in person from a licensed NT dealer. The specifics of the trial will be determined alongside the NT Police, key stakeholders, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. A 'community oversight reference group' will also be established to oversee how the trial is run. She said she believed the trial would be well-received by the NT community, based on the reaction from a similar trial in Western Australia. Western Australia is currently the only state or territory to allow people to carry the nonlethal spray, under strict conditions. 'We've seen Western Australia undertake a similar trial, and it's provided valuable insights into how a controlled, lawful model can give people greater peace of mind without compromising public safety,' Ms Finocchiaro said. 'This is about equipping Territorians with more options, not less control. 'It's a practical step that balances personal responsibility with community safety, and we'll be watching the outcomes closely through reporting and evaluation.'
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
NT's drastic move in law and order crisis
The Northern Territory government is set to increase its safety measures by allowing the public use of pepper spray for self defence in a 12-month trial. The 12-month trial will allow the public to carry low-percentage Oleoresin Capsicum spray, better known as pepper spray, for self defence reasons and under strict legal conditions. The Northern Territory will introduce a 12-month trial into personal pepper spray use. Credit: Supplied The NT has faced law and order issues over recent times, raising concerns within the community over safety and crime. The Finocchiaro CLP government has passed a number of reforms since winning last year's election, including stricter bail laws and lowering the age of criminal responsibility. 'This initiative responds directly to community calls for more safety options and reflects the government's commitment to restoring the Territory lifestyle,' Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said. The spray is made with a nonlethal substance that an cause a painful and burning sensation, and temporarily impair vision, allowing the victims to escape, but it is not as powerful as sprays handled by police. Pepper spray is currently classified as a 'prohibited weapon' in the NT. Ms Finocchiaro said the trial would give residents 'more choice when it comes to personal safety'. 'We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed,' she said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the move would give residents 'lawful tools' for self defence. NewsWire / David Beach Credit: News Corp Australia Pepper spray will be available for purchase from licensed dealers across the NT from September 1, 2025, and will only be eligible under strict conditions A person must be over 18 to purchase the pepper spray, show valid NT photo ID and have no relevant serious criminal history or domestic violence orders. They must also be purchased in person from a licensed NT dealer. The specifics of the trial will be determined alongside the NT Police, key stakeholders, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. A 'community oversight reference group' will also be established to oversee how the trial is run. The nonlethal spray is not as powerful as ones used by police. Supplied Credit: Supplied She said she believed the trial would be well-received by the NT community, based on the reaction from a similar trial in Western Australia. Western Australia is currently the only state or territory to allow people to carry the nonlethal spray, under strict conditions. 'We've seen Western Australia undertake a similar trial, and it's provided valuable insights into how a controlled, lawful model can give people greater peace of mind without compromising public safety,' Ms Finocchiaro said. 'This is about equipping Territorians with more options, not less control. 'It's a practical step that balances personal responsibility with community safety, and we'll be watching the outcomes closely through reporting and evaluation.'
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Landmark pepper spray trial in crime-hit community
A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray for self defence is set to be introduced by a crime-troubled territory. The Northern Territory is set to become only the second jurisdiction in the country to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial was set to launch from September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety and security, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Ms Finocchiaro's government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. The NT government also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and introduced tougher bail laws. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release. Consultation to determine the trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees, other key stakeholders and the broader community. The initiative would ensure the NT joins Western Australia as the only jurisdictions in Australia allowing residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving Territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. "This is about equipping Territorians with more options, not less control." Approved OC spray is set to be made available for purchase from licensed dealers across the NT from September 1. The NT proposal comes as a class action trial in Victoria winds up involving climate protester Jordan Brown challenging the police's use of pepper spray against him during a mining protest. His lawyers have told the Supreme Court that Victoria Police's use of the spray on him at a 2019 protest outside the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne was violent and excessive. But lawyers for Victoria Police claim the use of force was lawful, as protesters were impeding officers from making an arrest. Closing submissions before Judge Claire Harris are being heard on Wednesday and Thursday.
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Landmark pepper spray trial in crime-hit community
A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray for self defence is set to be introduced by a crime-troubled territory. The Northern Territory is set to become only the second jurisdiction in the country to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial was set to launch from September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety and security, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Ms Finocchiaro's government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. The NT government also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and introduced tougher bail laws. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release. Consultation to determine the trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees, other key stakeholders and the broader community. The initiative would ensure the NT joins Western Australia as the only jurisdictions in Australia allowing residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving Territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. "This is about equipping Territorians with more options, not less control." Approved OC spray is set to be made available for purchase from licensed dealers across the NT from September 1. The NT proposal comes as a class action trial in Victoria winds up involving climate protester Jordan Brown challenging the police's use of pepper spray against him during a mining protest. His lawyers have told the Supreme Court that Victoria Police's use of the spray on him at a 2019 protest outside the International Mining and Resources Conference in Melbourne was violent and excessive. But lawyers for Victoria Police claim the use of force was lawful, as protesters were impeding officers from making an arrest. Closing submissions before Judge Claire Harris are being heard on Wednesday and Thursday.
