The Wire

The first policeman tried by a jury in Australia over an indigenous death in custody has been found not guilty. Senior Sergeant CHRIS HURLEY has been acquitted of manslaughter and assault in the case which focussed on the cause of injuries sustained by the Aboriginal man known as MULRUNJI at the Palm Island Police Station in 2004. Mayor of the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, DELEENA OUI-FOSTER, says the community is of course very diappointed by the verdict but also feel that Mullrunji’s death was not invain and that it has shone a spotlight on policing practices in indigenous communities.