Claims of watchhouse 'abuse'
A MORAYFIELD mother and businesswoman claims she was belittled, assaulted and abused by Caboolture Watch-house staff after she voluntarily handed herself in for a crime dating back 27 years.
Christine Zieth, now 50, was charged in 1985 for possession of a stolen car, but she never fronted court for the matter at the time.
The unresolved charges were raised by police who visited her home last year on a separate matter. She agreed to hand herself in to police on December 21, with the understanding she would face Caboolture Magistrate's Court early that same day.
Mrs Zieth claims, however, that the matter she thought would be resolved quite quickly, dragged on for an agonising nine hours.
She said senior watch-house staff treated her like "a low-life dog who'd deliberately been on the run all these years".
"I WAS taken and thrown in the watch-house all day, stripped of my boots and jewellery. They wouldn't even allow me to phone my husband to let him know what was going on," Mrs Zieth said.
"They wouldn't believe that I even owned a business, much less had a husband. This particular sergeant was brutal, insulting, belittling and abusive."
Mrs Zieth said her husband Rob had phoned during the day to inquire about her matter, only to be told she was not there.
She was eventually fined $50 for driving, and affixing false plates to the stolen car.
In a complaint to the Crime and Misconduct Commission, dated December 28, about her treatment at the hands of the senior officer, she noted: "When I cautioned him that he had no right to judge me and that was a privilege best left for the magistrate of our courts to enjoy, he literally spat at me that he was the God of those cells and that he had every right to judge me and his judgement was that I was a dangerous and serious criminal."
The CMC confirmed recently that it had received the complaint from Mrs Zieth.
"The CMC assessed the complaint and determined that it was appropriate to refer to the Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards Command, subject to the CMC's monitoring role," a CMC spokesperson said.
Mrs Zieth faced Maroochydore District Court earlier this week on the outstanding charge of failing to appear in court originally for the charges, and was placed on a $500 good behaviour bond for 12 months.
