MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A court in Canberra, Australia has dismissed charges against Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton, both rugby league internationals, who were arrested for engaging in a physical altercation at a nightclub in February.
The charges filed against both players included fighting in a public place, while Wighton faced an additional charge of ignoring an exclusion order, and Mitchell faced charges of affray and resisting arrest.
Wighton was celebrating his 30th birthday when he was asked to leave the nightclub and the city area by the police.
The case was dismissed on Wednesday, following an admission by a senior police officer that his testimony regarding Wighton’s behavior was inaccurate.
The police officer had initially claimed in court on Monday that Wighton had aggressively pushed and shoved a man at the nightclub. However, he later acknowledged that the evidence did not align with the CCTV and police body-camera footage.
“Sorry Jack, if that’s what happened. I thought I saw something different,” the police officer stated in court on Tuesday, as reported by Australian media.
The Australia Capital Territory (ACT) Magistrates Court judge, Jane Campbell, dismissed the case, leading to criticism directed at the police and prosecutors involved.
The arrests and subsequent events were widely covered by national broadcasters, with video footage capturing four police officers pinning Mitchell, who is of Aboriginal Australian descent, face-down on the ground.
During the incident, Mitchell was heard screaming about his shoulders, and bystanders were heard defending the pair, insisting they had done nothing wrong.
“I hope everyone knows and understands the seriousness of what’s gone on,” South Sydney fullback Mitchell expressed to reporters outside the court.
“Over the past 10 months, it has been extremely challenging for myself, my family, and the ordeal they have had to endure. It has been a traumatic experience for me in Canberra,” Mitchell added.
Wighton, Mitchell’s teammate, expressed his gratitude towards his former club, the Canberra Raiders, and his family for their support during the case.
Raiders CEO Don Furner referred to the case as “an extraordinary waste” of the court’s time and taxpayers’ money, while Mitchell’s lawyer called for a review of the proceedings.
ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury described the case as “obviously really concerning.”
ACT Policing announced their intention to collaborate with prosecutors to conduct a review of the proceedings.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Sonali Paul)
