Police officer accused of sexually harassing a man who lay helpless in a hospital bed
The 'helpless' victim was recovering from a gunshot wound at the time but is now suing police
A man is suing an Australian police officer for allegedly sexually harassing him while he was in a hospital bed.
The incident occurred in 2012 at an ICU unit in Adelaide, Australia, after the victim was admitted to hospital for a gunshot wound.
As the victim “lay helpless” and recovered in a hospital bed, the police officer allegedly made “unwanted bodily contact” while making “suggestive comments”.
The alleged victim told the officer that he wasn’t interested and had a girlfriend, but claims the harassment continued on a “daily basis” while he was bed-ridden and unable to resist.
When the man was released from hospital, the police officer, who has denied the allegations made against him, then supposedly managed to track down his phone number and repeatedly sent the victim “sexually explicit messages”.
According to local media Ten Eyewitness News Adelaide, the victim claimed the officer abused his position of power through his persistant contact.
He’s asked for his identity to be protected because he fears for his safety in his ethnic community where “homosexuality is punishable by death”.
The police officer has faced no criminal charges, but has been disciplined.