Ballarat police officer shown on video putting choke holds on two women
An anti-corruption hearing in Victoria has been shown disturbing pictures of an officer putting a choke hold on two women at the Ballarat Police Station.
The inquiry was told that, despite nearly 20 separate complaints being filed against the sergeant, nothing was done about his behaviour.
It comes just a day after the hearing was shown footage of officers stripping a woman half naked, standing on her and appearing to kick her in a Ballarat cell.
The chokehold shown to the hearing is against police training.
Regardless, a veteran policeman does the same thing to a second woman at the Ballarat police station a short time later.
Sergeant Christopher Taylor was also at the station during the vicious beating of a female prisoner in January last year.
But he was officially off duty and claims not to have seen what happened in the cell.
The 26-year-old veteran has one of the worst records in the state when it comes to complaints.
Eighteen have been made against him.
In his words, it was not a good look when he applied the choke holds to the women on Anzac Day, 2009.
One of the women was there to see her son who was in custody.
The second was arrested over an outstanding warrant.
Sergeant Taylor told an anti-corruption hearing that it did not matter how much training one had, sometimes things could get out of control.
In December, 2010, Sergeant Taylor was involved in a heated exchange with a woman who had accused police of harassing her son, a hoon driver.
Sergeant Taylor said she had been aggressive and abusive before he and a colleague arrested her.
Another three complaints have been made against Sergeant Taylor in the past six years, including an allegation of assault.
He told the hearing that no action has been taken by his superiors.
