An African-Australian filmmaker who accused police of victimising him has failed to prove his claims at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Representing himself at the VCAT Hamadou Djime made 27 allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment, victimisation, racial vilification and human rights breaches against individual police and Victoria Police as a whole.
The accusations include alleged sexual harassment by police at Footscray railway station and being dropped from a police van “in the middle of nowhere”.
Mr Djime alleged two female senior constables followed him at Footscray station in May 2013 and flirted with him, before telling him he had not tapped his myki. He alleged he was assaulted and molested before being left between Footscray and North Melbourne stations.
Mr Djime also claimed he was assaulted by police during a later incident at his Sunshine rental property, claiming he was handcuffed and beaten by a sergeant.
VCAT member Anna Dea dismissed 21 of the 27 allegations last July and, in a ruling handed down on December 23, found the remaining six to be unproven.
Ms Dea found evidence that Mr Djime had been left outside North Melbourne police station – after being removed from Footscray railway station to defuse a volatile situation – to be compelling.
She also found the police report to be more reliable regarding Mr Djime’s ejection from his rental Sunshine premises during a dispute with his landlord’s brother.
“It is more probable … [the] sergeant asked Mr Djime to leave because of his behaviour,” Ms Dea said.
