National Network Calls for Divestment from Police Following Brutal Assault of Woman by Officers Wearing Body Cameras
Two former New South Wales police officers—Nathan Black and Timothy John Trautsch—have pleaded guilty to brutally assaulting a naked, unwell woman during a so-called welfare check.
Footage revealed the pair punching, kicking, dragging the woman by her hair, and pepper spraying her wounds and genitals. Despite this, their actions were defended in court as being “born out of frustration,” with their lawyer insisting they are “not bad men.”
‘We are outraged—but we are not shocked,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This case is another clear example of the brutal violence that policing inflicts on our communities, particularly on those who are already marginalised. It is also a reminder that reforms such as body-worn cameras make no meaningful difference. The entire incident was captured on camera. That did not stop the violence, and it did not protect the woman from harm,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘It was only after viewing the footage from the body worn camera that charges against her were dropped—showing again that without the camera, the state was prepared to criminalise her, not hold the aggressors accountable,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The problem with body-worn cameras is that even when we see the violence with our own eyes, police still justify it, and blame the victim. They are almost never held accountable because they hold the power. And with that power, they control the narrative. They shape what we believe we’re seeing. It’s always police investigating police,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This is why we reject the “bad apple” narrative. Because when police assault a naked, unwell woman, drag her by the hair, and pepper spray her open wounds—and the defence is that they were just frustrated—we see a system built not on accountability, but on impunity,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Some people, by virtue of the uniform, are granted permission to harm. To abuse. To violate. And when they do, they are not called what they are—people who caused harm and were violent. Instead, they are described as men who simply made “a bad choice,” said Tabitha Lean.
We call this what it is: police brutality.
‘We do not accept explanations that frame this as an isolated incident. This violence is not an exception—it is the product of a system designed to control, punish, and harm. A system where force is the default, and where vulnerability is met with violence. This is not safety. This is abuse,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘That’s why the National Network continue to call for the defunding of police and the reinvestment of those resources into non-violent, community-led models of care and crisis response,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘We must stop relying on police to respond to crises. We must build systems of support that don’t end with people being dragged, beaten, or pepper sprayed. Because this woman deserved compassion. What she received was violence,’ said Tabitha Lean.
We keep us safe—not the police.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 and Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
