Police deny cutting off piercings

A Christchurch police officer has denied cutting off a female prisoner's body piercings with a pair of boltcutters. File photo / Thinkstock

A police officer has denied cutting off a female prisoner's genital body piercings with a pair of boltcutters.

The police are being sued by a Christchurch woman for $150,000 over claims that five piercings from her tongue, belly button and genitalia were lopped off with "proper, heavy" bolt cutters.

The woman, who is in her 30s and cannot be named for legal reasons, has accused the policewoman of unlawful sexual connection, assault, breach of the Bill of Rights and abuse of her position.

She claims she was ordered to remove her piercings by the female officer when arrested for obstruction in May 2008 after her partner was arrested for drink-driving. Both were later acquitted of the charges.

At a civil hearing in Christchurch today, a judge heard evidence from the female constable accused over the incident that allegedly occurred at the city's police headquarters.

Lead counsel for the defence, Fergus Sinclair, pointed to the "improbably mechanics" in using such a large tool to cut small pieces of metal, for example, from beneath a tongue.

The officer, who has since left Christchurch police said she only vaguely recalled the plaintiff but "I recall she had a lot of piercings".

"I treated her piercings like any other item of jewellery and asked her to remove them herself as they can be used for self-harming.

"I certainly did not cut piercings from her. I wouldn't cut piercings from anyone. I'm not that kind of person."

Under cross-examination by the claimant's solicitor, Tony Greig, she denied even being present when the prisoner's piercings were removed.

She accepted that five piercings were "removed" from the woman but added: "I just don't accept they were removed from where she says they were removed from.

"I cannot recall any issue with the removal of jewellery during my entire police career.

"I've never personally removed any piercings - forcibly or otherwise. And I have never known of any boltcutters in any police station I've worked in."

Mr Greig said the boltcutters were used to "punish and humiliate" his client, a claim the officer denied.

In her brief of evidence, the alleged victim said she was told to remove the piercings.

"I told (the officer) that it was not necessary and that there was no need to do that. I also told her that I had been arrested before and that they had not been removed."

The woman said she took out all the piercings she could manage but told the officer she could not remove the rest.

"The constable then got out a pair of bolt cutters. They were about 300mm long. They looked like proper, heavy industrial bolt cutters.

"I was crying and begging her not to keep doing this. I was sobbing and protesting all the time that this was happening to me.

"We were not alone whilst this was happening. Other police officers, all of them female, were present at different times whilst this was happening. I felt that the other police officers were gloating and enjoying my humiliation, this made me feel worse."

Two other people who also say police had cut piercings from them gave evidence earlier.

The hearing, before Judge Raoul Neave at Canterbury University law school, is due to conclude tomorrow.