Heidi Michelle Ward charges dismissed at Proserpine Magistrates Court

After police dropped multiple charges from a night out in Airlie Beach, a Whitsunday businesswoman has attempted to bill police for time she spent defending herself.

Heidi Michelle Ward ran for the Division 2 seat in the 2020 Whitsunday council election. Picture: File

A Whitsunday businesswoman who fronted court more than 30 times to successfully defend herself against charges including assault and public nuisance has argued the Queensland Police Service owes her for her trouble.

Heidi Michelle Ward, 48, vowed not to give up her legal fight against police after a hearing at Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday cleared her of six outstanding summary charges stemming from her December 1, 2019 arrest at Airlie Beach.

Magistrate James Morton dismissed the following charges against Ward after police offered no evidence: removal of persons from premises, assault police officer, commit public nuisance in or near licensed premises, obstruct police, obstruct police licensed premises and wilful damage of police property.

Mr Morton also dismissed Ward’s costs application, along with her argument that she deserved “retribution” for the “gross mishandling of [her] arrest”, and the emotional toll of 39 self-represented court appearances and months of “onerous” bail conditions.

Ward had tried to argue she had “put a price on [her]self” in the same way a lawyer charging for their time would have.

She explained she had chosen to represent herself throughout her 21-month case because she “lost faith in the system” after being told to plead guilty to charges she vehemently disputed.

Heidi Michelle Ward appeared at Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday in relation to her 2019 arrest. Picture: File

She said she warned police last year she would come after them for costs if they continued to pursue matters against her in court, and had visited her local police station about a dozen times to try to convince them to drop the case.

“I’m a human being, I’m actually worth something,” she said.

“I stood my ground because I believed I was innocent and I had the worst time with police behaviour.

“I deserve retribution for this entire debacle.”

Mr Morton accepted the awarding of costs may have gone some way to restoring Ward’s faith in the justice system, but ultimately deemed it “not appropriate” and said there was nothing to substantiate her claims police had not investigated her case properly.

After the hearing, Ward said she was “very relieved” the dismissal of the charges plus a previous not guilty verdict at Mackay District Court had “exonerated” her.

But she said she was determined to make police pay for their “negligence”, and “harassment” of her throughout the case, and would pursue matters against both individual officers and the entire Queensland Police Service at district court and supreme court level.

“It hasn’t been an easy road,” she said.

“It’s not about the money for me, it’s about justice.”