Appeals court cuts sentences for NSW cops who beat mentally ill woman
Two NSW officers had their sentences cut by 2.5 years after assault convictions for beating a mentally ill woman.
Two former NSW police officers have won an appeal and had their prison sentences cut by at least two-and-a-half years. Nathan Black, 30, and Timothy Trautsch, 31, were jailed for more than five years after kicking, stomping and pepper-spraying a 48-year-old woman who was naked and experiencing a psychotic episode.
Officers had been called to Sydney's west for a welfare check. The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal found the sentencing judge erred in finding the assault was aggravated by gratuitous cruelty and by both breach of trust and breach of authority.
However, judges noted there was "a lack of humanity" in the attack. Trautsch's sentence was reduced to three years, with two to be served before parole eligibility in August 2027.
Black's was cut to three years and two months, with parole eligibility in September 2027. Both men were sacked from NSW Police.
- Nathan Black 30, Timothy Trautsch 31
- Officers' ages
- 48 years old
- Victim's age
- January 2023, Sydney's west
- Incident date and location
Why it mattersChanges the legal threshold for sentencing assault cases and affects how courts weigh police use of force against vulnerable people.
AustraliaMay influence how NSW and other states' courts sentence police officers for excessive force during mental health interventions.
