Two Victorian police officers charged with assault after taser and knee incident

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission has filed assault charges against two Victoria Police officers following an August arrest of an Indigenous man in Melbourne’s east. The senior constable is alleged to have repeatedly tasered the man’s head, leading to a charge of aggravated assault with a weapon. The sergeant is accused of striking the man’s head with his knee, resulting in a charge of unlawful assault.

Both officers are scheduled to appear before the Ringwood magistrates court on 11 September. The probe, named Operation Ginkgo, was conducted by IBAC’s focused police complaints team, which targets serious single-incident allegations of misconduct against officers dealing with communities at higher risk of police abuse. No further details are available as the matter proceeds through the courts.