Qld police rebuffed over excessive force

A police sergeant used excessive force in the arrest of a teenage boy, Queensland's
Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) says.
The tribunal's decision overrules an internal police investigation into the matter.
Following the internal police investigation by Deputy Police Commissioner Kathy
Rynders, the Queensland Police Service decided not to sack Sergeant Damien Chapman
over the arrest of a 15-year-old boy in May 2007.
The teenager required hospital treatment for a ruptured spleen following his arrest
by Sgt Chapman at a house at Clontarf, north of Brisbane.
An internal police review alleged Sgt Chapman had caused the boy's injuries, then
lied about the circumstances of the arrest.
Ms Rynders, in her ruling sent to the state's Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC)
in December 2009, found those allegations were unsubstantiated.
Unhappy with the outcome, the CMC filed an application for QCAT to review Ms
Rynders' decision not to dismiss the officer.
A CMC spokeswoman on Friday told AAP that QCAT members James Thomas and Susan Booth
had found that Sgt Chapman was guilty of improper conduct and the use of excessive
force, overruling the internal police investigation.
The spokesperson said QCAT would reconvene in a public hearing on December 8 to
consider what sanctions should be imposed on Sgt Chapman.
Police said they would not comment on the matter until it was finalised.
"We note the findings and note the matter has been adjourned to early December, and
it would be inappropriate to comment further at this point," a police spokeswoman
told AAP.
QCAT, established in 2008, reviews decisions made by a Queensland government
department, local government or regulatory authority.
Ms Rynders has been tasked with deciding how to discipline six police involved in
flawed investigations into Cameron Doomadgee's 2004 death at the Palm Island
watchhouse.
Mr Doomadgee, an indigenous man, suffered broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and a liver
almost split in two.
The arresting officer Chris Hurley was ultimately acquitted over his death.
Ms Rynders was given the job of disciplining the officers after a court said Police
Commissioner Bob Atkinson should delegate the task because he could be seen as
biased.
The CMC spokeswoman said Friday's decision by QCAT was unrelated to Ms Rynders' role
in the Palm Island disciplinary review.