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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Smee Queensland state correspondent

Court ends case against police charged over use of Taser and pepper spray on ‘vulnerable’ First Nations man

Stock photograph of a Queensland Police Officer wearing a Taser
A Queensland district court judge found Andrew David Couchman and Ulrich Weiss could not be guaranteed a fair trial. Photograph: AAP

Two police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable” First Nations man in police custody have had the case against them permanently stayed, after a court found “defects” in the subsequent investigation.

Andrew David Couchman, 54, and Ulrich Weiss, 45, both senior constables, were both charged over the incident at the Mareeba watch house in far north Queensland in January 2024.

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