In a significant legal development, five women who were subjected to invasive strip searches at Doha airport have gained the right to pursue legal action against Qatar Airways and the airport operator. The women, who were removed from a Qatar Airways flight in October 2020 after a newborn baby was found, had initially sought damages for assault and false imprisonment. While the initial court dismissed the claims, the Full Federal Court overturned the decision, allowing the case against Qatar Airways and the airport operator, MATAR, to proceed, citing that the circumstances surrounding the searches fell within the scope of embarking or disembarking operations. The court, however, upheld the dismissal of the case against the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
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Two Metropolitan Police officers, Kristina Linge and Rafal Szmydynski, have been dismissed for gross misconduct following a strip search of a 15-year-old schoolgirl, known as Child Q, suspected of possessing cannabis. The search, conducted in 2020 with no appropriate adult present, was deemed “unnecessary” and “disproportionate” by the misconduct panel. While a third officer received a final written warning for misconduct, the panel did not find that race was a factor in the incident. The police have since apologized and acknowledged organizational failings in their handling of the situation and the traumatic experience for Child Q.
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A class-action lawsuit against the NSW police force alleges unlawful strip-searches at music festivals between 2018 and 2022. Evidence presented revealed that police knew drug detection dogs had only a 30% accuracy rate yet used them to justify the vast majority of searches, many of which lacked sufficient grounds under the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002. The plaintiffs argued that inadequate training and a lack of justification for these searches, often based solely on a dog’s alert and the location, constituted widespread unlawful conduct. The state admitted one plaintiff’s strip-search was unlawful, highlighting the systemic issues within the police force’s procedures.
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Raya Meredith’s 2018 strip search at Splendour in the Grass, deemed unlawful by NSW Police, involved degrading treatment akin to sexual assault, including being forced to undress and bend over while a male officer observed. This incident, argued as assault, battery, and false imprisonment, lacked consent and violated statutory safeguards. The case, now a class action encompassing thousands of festival attendees disproportionately impacting Indigenous and diverse communities, alleges NSW Police routinely conducted strip searches without justification and inadequate training. The state’s admission of unlawful conduct underscores a pattern of improper searches at music festivals.
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John Q. Hosedrinker