Hundreds of young people falsely imprisoned by NSW police due to out-of-date bail information are expected to join a class action announced last week against the State of NSW.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and law firm Maurice Blackburn announced at a press conference last Wednesday that they have commenced proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court.
“We believe that there are over 200 children and young people who have been falsely imprisoned in NSW because of a long-standing problem with the NSW police computer system,” said Ben Slade, Maurice Blackburn NSW’s Managing Principal.
“These young people are being unjustly deprived of their liberty because police are acting on out-of-date information,” Mr Slade said.
The class action’s lead applicant is 19-year-old Musa Konneh.
Mr Konneh was arrested and unlawfully detained in southwest Sydney in August 2010.
Acting on the basis of incorrect bail information, police detained Mr Konneh overnight. The next day the court ordered his immediate release.
Musa is not alone, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that two to three young people are unlawfully detained each week, this problem is systemic within the NSW justice system.
“This problem began under the previous NSW Government. It has led to the unlawful detention of far too many children and young people, with devastating consequences,” said PIAC Acting Principal Solicitor, Vavaa Mawuli.
“It is fundamental to our justice system that the police rely on accurate information. But the police computer system has been unreliable for some time and vulnerable young people are paying the price.”
Young people are paying the price of reactionary law and order campaigns. Over the last two years the number of young people in juvenile detention, and the length of time that a juvenile spends in detention has increased with little correlation to drops in crime, and recidivism rates.
Have you been unlawfully detained due to wrong bail information? You can register your interest in joining the class action by calling (02) 8898 6517
