Two Queensland senior constables charged with assaulting and unlawfully restraining a prisoner at the Mareeba watch house have applied to the Cairns District Court for a permanent stay of criminal proceedings against them, with a ruling expected next week.
Two Queensland police officers seek permanent stay of assault charges before trial
Two Queensland senior constables charged with assaulting and unlawfully restraining a prisoner at the Mareeba watch house have applied to the Cairns District Court for a permanent stay of criminal proceedings against them, with a ruling expected next week.
Senior Constables Andrew David Couchman, 54, and Ulrich Weiss, 45, face charges including assault and deprivation of liberty following an incident on January 20, 2024, in which Charlton Bong, 25, was reportedly tasered, handcuffed, and left alone in a padded cell for approximately two and a half hours at the Mareeba watch house in Far North Queensland. The officers were investigated by the Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards Command and charged with criminal offences. A trial is listed for next month.
At a January 2026 committal hearing, investigating officer Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Cavill conceded she had inserted a line into Bong's sworn statement stating he did not consent to the force used against him. The court has previously heard that Bong could not read or write and had been experiencing mental health issues at the watch house at the time of the incident.
Bong gave evidence at an earlier pre-trial hearing, telling the court he believed he deserved to be tasered because he was hearing voices and acting violently. The court heard the two central issues at trial would be consent and justification.
- The source does not state the specific wording of the line Detective Senior Sergeant Cavill added to Bong's sworn statement.
- The source does not state what disciplinary or legal consequences, if any, Detective Senior Sergeant Cavill faces for adding the line to the statement.
- The source does not state the nature or identity of the expert witnesses the Crown intends to call.
- The source does not state whether Bong or his representatives have made any formal submission regarding the stay application.
- The source does not state the specific charges each officer individually faces, beyond the general categories of assault and deprivation of liberty.
- The source does not state the basis on which Senior Constable Weiss's appearance at Tuesday's hearing was excused.
Read the original at ABC News Australia