NSW admits police assault and false imprisonment of pro-Palestine protester Hannah Thomas
The New South Wales state government has formally admitted in court documents that a police officer punched former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas in the eye while holding a torch at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney in June 2025, and that her subsequent arrest constituted false imprisonment. Thomas, who required three surgeries on her ruptured right eye and fractured eye socket, had all criminal charges against her dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions in September 2025. The admissions mark a significant legal concession by the state, though it continues to deny allegations of malicious prosecution and malfeasance in public office.
Court documents filed in the NSW Supreme Court reveal that the state government has admitted Senior Constable Christopher Davis punched Hannah Thomas in the right eye with his right hand while holding a police torch, causing immediate bleeding, swelling, a ruptured eyeball, and a fractured eye socket. The state also admitted that a second officer, Senior Constable Pir Ali Noohpoto, grabbed Thomas's upper body in a manner that constituted a separate battery. NSW further conceded that Thomas's arrest was unlawful and amounted to false imprisonment, and that she is entitled to damages. Thomas, who weighed 45kg and stood 156cm at the time, was hospitalised and underwent three rounds of surgery on her right eye; photographs show her wearing a black eye patch as a result of the injury. The state has offered to pay her reasonable medical expenses but has denied claims of malicious prosecution, malfeasance in public office, and entitlement to aggravated or exemplary damages. Davis, who pleaded not guilty, is scheduled for a criminal hearing in February on charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. The protest took place outside SEC Plating in Belmore, a company protesters alleged supplies components used in Israeli military operations in Gaza — a claim the company has denied.
What's missing
The full quantum of damages Thomas is seeking has not been publicly disclosed.
How coverage differed
The Guardian framed the story with greater detail on the political and procedural context, including the use of a rarely invoked post-Cronulla riots emergency power in Thomas's charging documents and the assistant police commissioner's initial claim that body-worn video showed no misconduct. ABC Australia's coverage was more concise and procedurally focused, emphasising the formal legal admissions and the criminal charge upgrade against the officer, without dwelling on the earlier police denials.
What different sources said
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Melissa Caddick’s widower says police tricked him over alleged Vaucluse assault
NSW admits pro-Palestine protester Hannah Thomas was assaulted by police officers and falsely imprisoned
- ABC AustraliaCenter
State government admits ex-Greens candidate battered by police officer
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