Rally for Mike Hawash (Intel employee detained for two weeks without charge)
2003-04-05 05:45 GMT
portland
FOUR police officers ordered last year to pay $285,000 to the victims of a violent payback raid have been landed with an even bigger financial headache.
The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday the four must pay all the legal costs of a 38-day civil trial over the bashings � a bill that could reach $1.5 million.
Last year the officers were found liable for damages and lost a claim that the State Government should indemnify them for compensation paid to the victims.
In the latest ruling, three appeal judges said Sgt Ian Christensen, Sen-Constables David Jenkin and Stephen Davison and former constable Marc Saunders have to pay the Government's legal costs.
During the raid on her Hastings home in March 1996, mother of two Corinna Horvath was punched senseless and suffered a broken nose.
| Her partner, Craig Love, was beaten on the back with a baton. |
The judges said that the raid was at the very least high handed, that the officers abused their considerable power and that their defence to the lawsuit had no merit.
"The conduct of the police defendants was such as to make it just that they should pay the state's trial costs," said court president Justice John Winneke and Justices Alex Chernov and Frank Vincent.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6237388%255E2862,00.html
