Dani Laidley sues Victoria Police for aggravated damages over custody photos

Dani Laidley has launched Supreme Court action for aggravated damages over leaked photos of her in custody taken by police.

A court sketch of former AFL player and coach Dani Laidley during a bail hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court. Picture: AAP

Former North Melbourne coach Dani Laidley is suing the state government after Victoria Police members leaked ­images of her in custody.

She claims in documents filed with the Supreme Court of Victoria the officers acted with malice and exposed her to humiliation and ridicule.

Ms Laidley is seeking damages claiming she had been “brought into public ridicule and contempt” and had her reputation damaged after two images were circulated, initially within a What’s App group and then more widely on social media.

The pictures were taken and shared by police officers following Laidley’s arrest over stalking in St Kilda in May last year.

One picture showed her in police custody wearing a dress, long blonde wig and makeup. The other was a mugshot of her on a police computer screen.

It is claimed she was described in online messages by one police officer as a “full-blown tranny” and “dressing like a tranny”.

Laidley in action for North Melbourne.

She claims Victoria Police failed in its duty to provide reasonable care for her “physical and psychological safety”.

The action is being taken against the state government as the operator of Victoria Police.

In the writ, it is claimed on or about May 3, 2020, a police officer whose identity is unknown to Ms Laidley, took a photo of her mugshot and ­details of her arrest from a police computer.

It is claimed the photo was sent to other police officers and to members of the public via text messages and social media.

It is claimed that on the same day, Detective Senior Constable Murray Gentner published the photograph to a WhatsApp group called the “SD1 Gentleman’s Club”, containing nine police officers.

Laidley coaching Maribyrnong Park. Picture: Jamie Morey

Laidley as North Melbourne coach.

It is alleged Sen-Constable Gentner referred to Ms Laidley — formerly known as Dean Laidley — as a “full-blown tranny” and “dressing like a tranny” in communication with other officers including Adam Henry and Matthew Thorpe.

On that same day, it is claimed, Senior Constable Shane Reid took a photo of Ms Laidley in a police interview room and “communicated and published” the image to the same WhatsApp group.

It is also alleged that on the same night, police officer David Hall sent messages via text and Facebook about the plaintiff to Jordan Harrison and Constable Skye Nelson, and these were then posted further on social media.

“The nature of the photographs and the words communicated by police officers were such as to invite and expose the plaintiff to humiliation and ridicule,” the writ reads.

It added the images and words “in this context meant and were understood to mean that the plaintiff, by reason of dressing as and/or identifying as a woman, was deserving of disparagement and ridicule and that she was a ridiculous spectacle”.

Publication of the photos and words “by Gentner, Reid, Hall and other police officers whose identities are presently unknown to the plaintiff was ­actuated by malice”, it added.

It is claimed the officers involved in the leaking of the images and words “intended, or knew or ought to have known” that the natural and probable result would be the republication of them.

The legal move comes after six police officers were ordered to pay Ms Laidley up to $3000 each in compensation for harm caused after the leaking of the two photos.

At a police disciplinary hearing, the six were also put on 12-month good behaviour bonds and must complete a respect course run by the Victoria Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.