NSW Police justify unlawful strip-search as “necessary” – class action attorney labels the claim as “preposterous” | Australian police and policing

In a shocking case, New South Wales police argued that it was “objectively necessary” to conduct a strip-search of a woman’s genital area at a music festival, despite the search being declared unlawful. The incident involved Raya Meredith, who was subjected to a strip-search at Splendour in the Grass in July 2018 after a drug dog signaled in her direction. Meredith, who was postpartum at the time, was even asked to remove her tampon during the search. The police admitted in court that the search was unlawful but still maintained that aspects of the search were reasonable. The court heard emotional testimony from Meredith and other plaintiffs involved in a class action against NSW over allegedly unlawful strip-searches by police, which included searches of children. The class action, led by Slater and Gordon lawyers and the Redfern Legal Centre, could represent more than twice the size of the already stated 3,000 affected individuals.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/14/nsw-police-argument-that-unlawful-strip-search-was-necessary-is-outrageous-class-action-told-ntwnfb