New South Wales Admits Police Assault and False Imprisonment

New South Wales has admitted in court documents that a police officer assaulted pro-Palestine protester Hannah Thomas and that she was falsely imprisoned during an incident at a Sydney protest in June 2025. The admissions form part of the state’s defence to a civil action Thomas filed in October. The state has offered to pay Thomas’s medical expenses related to the injuries it has acknowledged.

Thomas alleges she was arrested and charged alongside four other people at a protest outside SEC Plating in late June 2025. The protest was attended by about 60 people, according to the material cited in the case. Thomas was taken to hospital after the incident and later underwent three rounds of surgery on her right eye.

The state has admitted liability for battery and false imprisonment, but it has denied allegations of malicious prosecution and malfeasance in public office. Thomas’s lawyers are seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, arguing the police conduct was excessive.

Admissions detailed in the civil defence

According to the claim, Senior Constable Christopher Davis punched Thomas in the right eye while holding a torch, causing immediate bleeding and swelling. The state has admitted the conduct “as pleaded” and accepted that the use of force constituted a battery.

New South Wales also admitted that Senior Constable Pir Ali Noohpoto committed another battery by taking hold of Thomas’s upper body before the punch. The state further acknowledged that Thomas was not allowed to leave after being directed to remain seated or standing for a period near the incident, an element underpinning the false-imprisonment admission.

Criminal case and charges against Thomas

Davis has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. A criminal hearing is scheduled for February.

All charges against Thomas, including resisting police and failing to comply with a direction, were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions in September 2025. Thomas was also awarded $22,000 in legal costs.

The civil proceedings continue, with damages and the scope of any further liability still to be determined by the court.