More details have come to light about alleged offending of a South Australian police officer accused of assaulting four people while on the job, including allegations he said "words such as whoopsie" when applying force to a person's body.
Benjamin Oliver McLeod, 40, is facing eight charges of aggravated assault arising from four alleged incidents between August and December 2020.
The incidents were picked up as a result of an audit of police officer body-worn camera footage.
The prosecution alleges that the officer used unreasonable force during the course of four individual arrests.
Magistrate Kym Millard today read out the prosecution's case while delivering his decision on whether he would sever the four charges and have them tried separately.
The court heard on August 6, 2020, body-cam footage showed the officer arrested a person in Glandore.
"The defendant can be seen kneeling on [the detainee's] head and neck," Magistrate Millard said.
"Approximately five minutes after the handcuffing commenced, the defendant can be seen, on the prosecution case, dragging [the detainee] across the road and dropping him on a gutter's edge.
"It's suggested that he then threw [the detainee] to the ground and made some comments … which suggest his actions were potentially deliberate.
"It's heard that he used the words such as "whoopsie" or "oh sorry" when knowingly forcing conduct to the upper body."
The court heard on December 3, 2020, a number of officers were involved in an arrest in Glenelg.
The prosecution alleges that body-cam footage showed Mr McLeod striking another detainee in the neck and head.
"It's the prosecution case that this conduct went beyond anything that might have been reasonably necessary in the circumstances to secure the detainee," Mr Millard said.
The prosecution alleges another two incidents occurred on December 6, 2020, at separate arrests in Black Forest and Novar Gardens.
It is alleged Mr McLeod used unnecessary force to the upper body of a detainee, particularly the head region, in Black Forest.
The court heard body-worn footage picked up the detainee complaining about pain and the ability to feel in his hand, before Mr McLeod is allegedly seen striking the detainee twice.
The court also heard that on the same day in Novar Gardens, CCTV footage and body-cam footage captured Mr McLeod allegedly punching another detainee on a number of occasions.
"It's submitted that the defendant used his hand to push [the detainee's] head to the ground, using his knee to hold it there for some time," Magistrate Millard said.
The magistrate granted Mr McLeod's application to have all four assaults dealt with separately – which will mean he will face four separate trials.
