Horrifying moment a man is thrown to the ground and punched in the head SEVEN TIMES by officers before his finger was deliberately dislocated
- New footage released of excessive forced used by police on a man in Fremantle
- CCTV released as part of WA's Corruption and Crime Commission report
- Man thrown to the ground and punched repeatedly by police in 2017 incident
- CCC report found that two police officers used excessive force in the incident
- One officer has resigned from the force while the other has been charged
Shocking new footage shows the excessive force used by police on an intoxicated man who was thrown to the ground and punched repeatedly before his finger was deliberately dislocated.
Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission has publicly released the disturbing CCTV vision for the first time, along with its finalised report into the 2017 incident outside a Fremantle hotel.
The altercation was sparked when the man, anonymously called John Wells in the report, lit a cigarette while being questioned by police after he was evicted from a nearby hotel.
The intoxicated man was questioned by police in High Street Mall
CCTV shows the man having his cigarette snatched away by an officer as he is wrestled to the ground and officers using 'empty hand' tactics to subdue him including at least seven strikes to the head while Mr Wells was on his back.
Mr Wells suffered several broken ribs during the altercation, along with a dislocated finer when it was deliberately bent back by an officer, the CCC report states.
'The force used to overcome Mr Wells, in the Commission's opinion, was excessive,' the report states.
'Mr Wells was intoxicated and no doubt difficult, but the triggering event for the incident was the snatching away of his cigarette. Until then he had shown no overt aggression.'
The CCC also expressed concerns about the treatment of Mr Wells afterwards at at Fremantle Police Station, where he was handcuffed in a cell for more than an hour.
Mr Wells was originally charged with three counts of assaulting a public officer, obstructing public officers and failing to comply with the request to give personal details, which were later dropped before the case went to trial.
New vision from the incident shows the man thrown to the ground by officers
The Police Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) initially decided against criminal proceedings against the three police officers and an auxiliary officer involved after Mr Wells indicated he was not prepared to lodge a complaint and had little memory of the incident.
The most senior police officer involved, Sgt Trenberth resigned before IAU completed its investigation, despite believing his actions on the night were lawful.
First Class Constable Julian Donohoe, who deliberately bent back Mr Wells' finger has been referred to the Independent Review Panel.
He was also charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and will appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court next month.
The man suffered several broken ribs and a dislocated finger, which was deliberately bent
'The Commission is statutorily empowered to form opinions of misconduct and does so in respect of two officers,' the CCC said in a statement.
The IAU continues to investigation the incident.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said he took seriously any allegations of excessive use of force.
'Police have a lawful authority to use force,' he told the ABC.
'It's part of our job. We exercise force every day and have for many, many years, and will continue to do so. What I have to do as Commissioner is ensure that the lawful force is used.'
The Corruption and Crime Commission found that two officers used excessive force
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