AN OUTPOURING of tears spilled into the gallery of the Dubbo District Court yesterday, as two police officers were found not guilty of the 2011 assault and kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy in Wellington.
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Constable Frank Shields cried with his wife as he held his infant child, while Senior Constable Carl Giusti simply thanked his supporters.
Yesterday marked two years and a day since the alleged incident in Wellington had put the lives of both officers on hold.
A 14-year-old boy reported to police on Sunday, August 7, 2011, that he was placed into a headlock at Wellington's skate park before being pushed into a police truck, taken to the side of a river and assaulted.
Shields and Giusti pleaded not guilty to charges of taking/detaining in company with intent to gain advantage and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Twelve days of evidence presented by the Crown prosecutor and defence saw 29 civilian and 18 police witnesses take the stand.
On the final day it took just two hours of deliberations for a jury to reach its verdict.
They entered deliberations mid-morning after Judge Gordon Lerve summarised the overall proceedings.
He broke down the elements of both charges, reminding the jury all must be proven beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution for a guilty verdict.
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The judge then detailed the central incident as described by the complainant, Shields and Giusti, and the cases of the Crown and defence.
Soon after, the group made two requests to assist deliberations.
Jury members were handed a written document outlining some of their responsibilities as judges of the facts.
Some of the original police interview from the complainant was then replayed in open court before the lunch break.
When court resumed, Judge Lerve was notified the jury had reached their verdict and the rest of the evidence was no longer required.
As the verdicts for each charge were read, a choked sigh of relief was heard from the gallery.
After the judge discharged them, Shields verbally thanked the jury before Giusti waved in acknowledgement.
Shields later gave Giusti a prolonged handgrip before exiting the courtroom.
Judge Lerve thanked the jury and council for their good handling of the complicated trial.
