South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell told police during his arrest in Canberra earlier this year that “I’ve done nothing wrong but be a blackfella in Australia”.
Mitchell and close friend Jack Wighton appeared at ACT Magistrates Court on Monday contesting charges from an early morning street brawl during celebrations for Wighton’s 30th birthday in February.
South Sydney player Latrell Mitchell arrives at the ACT Magistrates Court.Credit: AAP
Mitchell’s defence will revolve around the heavy-handed police conduct during the arrest that resulted in both men being charged with failing to comply with an exclusion direction and fighting in a public place. Mitchell was also charged with resisting a territory public official.
Prosecutor Sam Bargwanna accused the duo of fighting outside the Fiction nightclub after Wighton was removed from the venue by police due to his upset facial expression, angry demeanour and clenched fists.
Police then allegedly intervened to break up the fight and arrest Mitchell, while reminding Wighton he had been issued with an exclusion direction and to leave.
Wighton allegedly responded “lock me up with him, you’re f---wits”, before he was also arrested.
South Sydney recruit Jack Wighton was all smiles arriving at court on Monday.Credit: AAP
But Mitchell’s lawyer Jack Pappas said the police had acted inappropriately in their dealings, suggesting it was “a sad parody of what proper police conduct needed to be”.
Footage from police body-worn cameras will show Mitchell encouraging people filming his arrest to share it on social media, Pappas told the court.
Other footage shows four police officers on top of Mitchell when arresting him while the fullback yells “my shoulders, my shoulders”.
Footage of Mitchell’s arrest was played to the court, showing the player surrendering onto his knees, before being elbowed, kneed and pushed face-down onto the ground by police.
A lawyer for Wighton said Mitchell had been “reduced to a weeping mess” and was worried “he might die”.
Sergeant David Power, who was not responsible for Mitchell’s “takedown” but present on the night, insisted the “driving knee” into the Rabbitoh’s back was an approved arrest technique.
He denied he had been able to hear Mitchell crying out in pain, to which the footballer shook his head in the courtroom.
The court heard Mitchell’s arrest was longer than average as the police-issued handcuffs did not fit his large wrists.
The pair sat next to each other in court and were very friendly with one another.
They were all smiles when confronted by a media pack when they arrived on Monday morning. The hearing is scheduled for three days.
The duo, who are distant cousins and close friends, have previously played together for NSW and Australia but will be club teammates for the first time next year after Wighton signed with South Sydney in April.
The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
with AAP