Miranda Lickert makes successful submission of no case to answer in protest assault.

Miranda's client was charged with assaulting a police officer at a Palestine Action protest. Three officers had given the same account, alleging that the client had engaged in escalating behaviour, shouting and pushing, and that she had eventually punched an officer after he pushed her away from his colleagues. Under rigorous cross-examination and scrutiny of the bodyworn video, significant inconsistencies emerged. One officer admitted that he had simply "assumed" that the client had been pushing and shouting in the lead-up to the allegation, and the complainant officer conceded that he had not been looking at the client when he had pushed her away.

As a result, Miranda was able to make a successful submission of no case to answer at the close of the prosecution case. The lay bench were unable to be sure that the complainant officer's initial use of force was lawful, and could not rule out self-defence. As an addendum, the bench questioned the decision to prosecute the matter at all.

Miranda was instructed by MB Law Solicitors.