Charges dropped against three police officers alleged to have left suspect a quadriplegic after arrest

Three police officers accused of rendering a suspect quadriplegic during an arrest have had their charges dropped.

Benjamin Timpson, Gregory Cressall and Lachlan Barr were each charged with negligently causing serious injury, the charges have been dropped. Picture: Zizi Averill

Three police officers charged after allegedly leaving a suspect a quadriplegic during an arrest have had all charges dropped.

Benjamin Timpson, Gregory Cressall and Lachlan Barr were each charged with negligently causing serious injury against Chris Karadaglis after being called to his Warrnambool home for a noise complaint in November 2017.

It is alleged Mr Karadaglis’s neck was broken when the officers tried to arrest him.

The trio were not charged until June last year following an extensive investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, dubbed Operation Blackmore.

They were suspended from duties while the case proceeded before the court.

But on Friday they were returned to regular duties after the corruption watchdog, in a special mention hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court, announced it was withdrawing the charges.

No reason for the sudden change in the prosecution’s pursuit of the charges was given.

The move spurred Tony Hargreaves, representing all three officers, to apply for IBAC to pay for the officers’ legal costs — an application that was granted by the magistrate.

IBAC would not explain why the charges were dropped, passing the buck to the Office of Public Prosecutions.

Following its investigation into the incident, IBAC said it referred “indictable offences” to the DPP.

“Any questions about the outcomes of offences referred to the OPP should be directed to them,” an IBAC spokesperson said.

But the corruption watchdog, in its statement, highlighted that “police integrity around the use of force remained a significant focus of IBAC’s work”.

“IBAC is currently preparing a special report on Victoria Police use of force which will outline police misconduct risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen Victoria Police’s practices.”

Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt threw his support behind the three police officers, saying the association was “proud to have been by their side, representing them, as they defended these charges”.

“We are pleased that these members can now get on with their life and their work after the enduring stress this process has caused them,” Mr Gatt said.

“Our members do the most difficult and challenging job in Victoria.

“That is never lost on us and it should never be lost on the community they serve.”