A former Queensland police officer who admitted bashing three people in custody will spend nine months in jail.
Benjamin Thomas Price, 34, was sentenced to 27 months jail - with parole after nine months - after pleading guilty to four counts of assault while he was a senior constable at the Airlie Beach police station.
Townsville District Court judge Stuart Durward, handing down the sentence, described the bashings as "cowardly and contemptuous", noting that two of the victims, including a slightly built 20-year-old woman, had been in handcuffs.
"You deliberately abused your position as a police officer and deliberately inflicted pain and suffering," he said.
He said Price, who appeared emotionless throughout sentencing, had shown little remorse for his actions.
The court was last week played graphic CCTV footage of the assaults, including vision of Price punching 23-year-old Timothy Steele in the head and forcing a high powered fire hose into his mouth.
Steele later said the force of the water from the hose was so strong he thought he was going to drown.
In another video Price is seen slamming the slightly built Renee Toms, then 21, to the floor of the watchhouse before pulling her up by the hair and lifting her off the ground in the process.
The crimes came to light after Price's junior partner Bree Sonter, who has since been hailed a hero by senior police, blew the whistle on his behaviour.
Judge Durward acknowledged Price would have a harder time in prison because he was a police officer, but said that did not mean he would receive a lesser sentence.
Queensland police deputy commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters in Brisbane on Monday the case was "disturbing" and Price's behaviour "inexcusable".
He offered the police service's most sincere apology to the victims, their families and the community.
Mr Stewart confirmed that five officers had resigned and three more were facing potential disciplinary actions over the incidents.
He could not give a time frame for the disciplinary process.
"The issue of use of force is obviously critical to the credibility of the Queensland Police Service," he said.
Mr Stewart said the police service had some way to go to rebuild trust.
"We've still got a lot of work to do to regain the credibility we previously had in that community," he said.
He said he could not confirm the total amount of taxpayer dollars spent on compensation for the three victims.
"Some of those amounts of compensation are yet to be determined," he said.
Mr Stewart said the police service hoped to learn from the Price incident and improve its processes.
"Our systems are designed to try and identify problem officers, we know because of the Price incident that we have to redouble our efforts in that regard," he said.
"It's up to us as an organisation to try to interpret what those warning signs are - moodiness, shortness of temper - but it still comes down to supervisors identifying those issues."
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said recruiting practices needed to be improved to prevent people unsuited to the job becoming police.
"In some years gone by they would do checks with neighbours and referees, they don't do that anymore, it is a very simple thing but it should be done," he told reporters in Townsville.
Price will be released on bail on July 7 next year, in time for his son's 16th birthday in October.
aap 11 Oct 2010
One of the few stories that makes it out, as this one is in the court system
There are MANY more instances where there is Police AND government cover ups, that the alleged incidences did not occur.
Police in Victoria are also involved in the Organised Crime of Car Stealing and Rebirths, but this is NOT reported by the mass media.
This has been documented on this blog elsewhere.
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