19 Nov 2013

Woman unlawfully arrested 'waiting for apology'

5:17 am on 19 November 2013

A woman who successfully brought a private prosecution against two police officers after she was unlawfully arrested says she is still waiting for an apology.

Constables Brent Liddle and Gerard Russell visited the woman at home after she was involved in a minor nose-to-tail crash in December 2010.

The woman told the officers to leave, but they arrested her for driving offences after taking advice from their sergeant.

She said the men forced her bedroom door open and yanked her hands behind her back before tightening them.

In the North Shore District Court in April this year, Judge Lawrence Hinton found that the officers did not have permission to be in the woman's house and the arrest constituted assault.

The judge discharged them without conviction, but ordered each to pay $3500 in reparation and court costs.

The lawyer who represented the woman, Peter Johnson, said the case showed there are fundamental failings in police training.

Waitemata District Commander Bill Searle would not say on Monday whether police have apologised to the woman.

However, the woman has told Radio New Zealand that they have not.