Mount Garnet police sergeant, Lee Adam Golding, 56, guilty of assault during forceful arrest of Indigenous man

A Tablelands police officer has been jailed over three “hammer blows” delivered during an arrest of an Indigenous man in bushland at Mount Garnet in 2022.

Mount Garnet police officer Sergeant Lee Adam Golding (back, with sunglasses) with members of his legal team after pleading not guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm. He was later found guilty of the charge by a jury and sentenced to 18 months jail. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Tablelands police officer has been jailed over three “hammer blows” delivered during an arrest of an Indigenous man in bushland at Mount Garnet in 2022.

Lee Adam Golding, 56, had pleaded not guilty last week in Cairns District Court to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm over the three strikes he delivered to the face of a much smaller man who was already being restrained by two other officers when Golding entered the fray.

A jury deliberated for around two hours before returning the guilty verdict.

Mount Garnet’s former Sergeant Lee Adam Golding was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment to serve nine months before he is eligible for parole, with Judge Tracy Fantin noting he was not eligible for discounts that applied for people who pleaded guilty. Picture: Brendan Radke

Judge Tracy Fantin said Golding had displayed “no evidence of genuine remorse or contrition”, and sentenced him to 18 months jail, ordering that he serve nine months before he could be released on parole.

It was revealed during Golding’s sentencing the sergeant had undergone additional training on the use of force a few years before the incident, and had been required to complete a cultural awareness course.

Crown Prosecutor Claudia Georgouras told the court Golding had also been subject to six months of “management guidance” on the use of power, during which time he was required to submit his body-worn camera footage for review every time he used force in an arrest.

Golding received additional training in the use of force two years before the assault occurred, which prosecutor Claudia Georgouras said should have meant the issue was at the front of his mind.

During the week-long trial, the jury was shown footage of the arrest from three different angles, recorded on all three officers’ body-worn cameras.

Judge Fantin said Golding used more force than necessary, and made statements that were “demonstrably untrue” or “self-serving” during and after the arrest.

“While (the victim) is lying on the ground, you come running over ... he says ‘sorry sir’ and you immediately start striking him.

“You say to him ‘stop resisting’ ... it is patent from the recording that he was not resisting ... in any way.

“They were self-serving statements to justify your conduct, which you knew you would have to account for at a later time.”

During the trial the court was told Golding and two officers from Ravenshoe had been looking for the man for more than an hour in town and surrounding bushland before they came across him on a fence line.

The victim was wanted for domestic violence offences and was known to run away.

He gave evidence during the trial that he had been “dodging” Golding for months.

On the day of the arrest, one officer produced a Taser, and the victim dropped to the ground, saying “you got me constable, you got me good”.

During the trial, Crown prosecutor Claudia Georgouras (left) called evidence from Senior Constable Saurabh Verma, (right) whose body-worn camera footage was also played to the court . Picture: Brendan Radke

Judge Fantin said she did not accept Golding’s evidence during the trial that his actions were a “mistake of fact” about the man’s level of resistance, or were motivated by a desire to protect a woman from domestic violence.

“You did not punch him because you were protecting an (Australian) Aboriginal woman from domestic violence. You punched him because you were angry and wanted to harm him,” Judge Fantin said.

“You were hot and tired and wanted to punish him.” she said.

“At the time you arrived on the scene, he was completely compliant and had demonstrated that by his words and actions.”

Defence Barrister David Jones KC said Golding had served as a police officer for 20 years, but had been “summarily dismissed” from the force as soon as the guilty plea was handed down.

Former Mount Garnet police sergeant Lee Adam Golding, pictured here at a presentation ceremony in 2020, was said by his barrister to be a caring member of the small Tablelands community, who was passionate about preventing domestic violence and seeking justice for victims.

Mr Jones said Golding was passionate about preventing domestic violence and had demonstrated “much care” towards the people in the small community in which he lived and worked.

Between his arrest and conviction, Golding was stood down on full pay, the court was told.

Mr Jones said any time Golding spent in prison would be an “additional hardship” because he would be “spending time with people he spent two decades getting off the street”.

Originally published as Mount Garnet police sergeant, Lee Adam Golding, 56, guilty of assault during forceful arrest of Indigenous man