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Curtis Scott after $400k settlement from police over ‘unlawful’ arrest

NRL star Curtis Scott is seeking a $400,000 settlement from police after charges against him were dropped thanks to bodycam footage.

Dramatic vision of Curtis Scott's arrest

Raiders centre Curtis Scott is set to seek a $400,000 settlement from police according to his laywer Sam Macedone.

Scott was arrested and charged with seven offences on Australia day weekend but the case was dismissed following the emergence of bodycam footage.

Magistrate Jennifer Giles said she did not have the “stomach” to watch again after the two videos showed Scott pepper-sprayed and tasered in an arrest that was deemed unlawful.

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Now Macedone has told the Sydney Morning Herald that they will be seeking a damages settlement of $400,000.

“We will be asking for $400,000,” Macedone said.

“I think the cops will want to sort it out. It outlines the trauma, the physiological damages, the economic damages and the sponsorship he lost out of it.”

Giles had at the time condemned the nature of the arrest, describing it as “unlawful”.

“Being capsicum sprayed whilst you are handcuffed and not decontaminated for some 19-odd minutes, that’s much worse than anything I can do to you,” Giles said.

“Convicting you and fining you would serve absolutely no purpose.”

In his first interview about the incident in September, Scott told Channel 7 of the pain it had caused him.

“I put my whole career on the line to clear my name and that was a risk I was willing to take,” Scott said.

When shown the footage, the centre’s brother Lewis Scott added: “It’s pretty hard to stomach knowing that he’s going through that, knowing they don’t help him. Someone needs to be accountable for it.”

Scott did say though that he also maintains that his experience won’t impact his view of the police force as a whole.

“I know there’s plenty of good police officers out there and they have the toughest job in the world,” he said.

Originally published as Curtis Scott after $400k settlement from police over ‘unlawful’ arrest

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/curtis-scott-after-400k-settlement-from-police-over-unlawful-arrest/news-story/09b872b1b9a8e39d94ec04decd3bd866