Police Violently Arrested Woman Who Didn’t Smile, Make Eye Contact With Him; Gets Jailed

A 61-year-old former police officer in New South Wales, Australia, will serve at least 18 months in prison after he assaulted a transgender woman over two years ago and falsified evidence related to the encounter.

Mark Follington was sentenced to 30 months in prison in Downing Centre Local Court Wednesday, 18 months of which cannot be paroled, The Canberra Times reported.

Follington was found guilty of acting with intent to pervert the course of justice, tampering with evidence with intent to mislead a judicial tribunal, modifying police data and two counts of common assault back in May.

The then-Senior Constable was reportedly checking IDs in the gaming room of a pub in Sydney's Liverpool suburb in May 2019 when he unlawfully arrested Anya Bradford.

Follington became suspicious of Bradford as she did not make eye contact nor smile and "was keeping her head down," which he claimed was "a signal to me that this person is trying to hide from me," a report by 7News.com.au said.

Bradford later told Follington to "f--k off" after being asked for an ID, according to ABC. Follington, in response, grabbed Bradford's arm and slammed her head into an ATM before following her into the lobby of a parole office and continued to attack her, surveillance footage of the incident showed.

Another officer, Constable Mark Brown, reportedly used a pepper spray and taser on Bradford.

Follington allegedly lied in a police report later that day and claimed Bradford had assaulted him, but CCTV footage contradicted his story.

Magistrate Michael Crompton, during Wednesday's hearing, said Follington's falsification of information "struck at the very heart of the criminal justice system," which warranted a sentence that would significantly deter others.

Follington’s abuse of his position of trust and authority aggravated his crimes, Crompton added.

"On the evidence before me there is no evidence of remorse," the magistrate, who noted Follington's not guilty pleas, said.

The judge, in deciding Follington's sentence, also took into account Follington's clean record and two recent medical reports, which indicated he was suffering symptoms of anxiety as well as depression and was possibly in the early stages of a neurocognitive disorder.

Bradford was not present in court during sentencing, but she claimed in a victim impact statement that the assault left her mentally and emotionally scarred. She allegedly regularly experienced traumatic flashbacks over the incident and no longer trusts police.

"Every time I see a police officer I get anxiety and a fight-or-flight response," Bradford was quoted as saying in the statement.

Bradford's mother, Elizabeth Bradford, welcomed Follington's sentence and said "it is what he deserves."

Follington will appeal against the verdict, his legal team confirmed.