NSW police settle trespass case after visiting Indigenous children’s home 150 times in 20 months

Key facts

• Two Indigenous mothers settled a trespass case against New South Wales police.
• The case involved officers attending one mother's home over 150 times in 20 months.
• Many visits to one home occurred between midnight and 4am.
• Police conducted over 90 bail checks at another mother's home in 18 months.
• The visits allegedly caused distress and impacted children's schooling.
• Megan and her sons have a separate ongoing federal court case alleging racial discrimination.

Two Indigenous mothers have settled a trespass case against New South Wales police after officers repeatedly visited their homes for bail checks on their sons. The case, launched in April 2024, was settled on confidential terms three weeks before it was scheduled to go to trial in the supreme court.

One complainant, identified as Megan, has two sons who were on bail after being passengers in a stolen car. Police attended her regional NSW home more than 150 times over 20 months, with many visits occurring between midnight and 4am. Megan stated that the visits often involved police banging on doors, shining torches through windows, and entering through the back gate, causing fear and stress for her family and leading to her children missing school due to exhaustion.

The other complainant, Joanne, reported that police visited her western Sydney home over 90 times in 18 months for bail checks on her son, with multiple checks sometimes occurring within a few hours on school nights, impacting her youngest daughter's ability to attend school.

NSW police maintained that the officers were acting lawfully and that bail compliance checks are an important tool for public safety. However, a 2025 report by the state’s Law Enforcement Conduct Commission found that police were overstepping their authority by relying on a weak legal principle for bail checks without court authorization.

Megan and her sons have also filed a separate racial discrimination case against NSW police in federal court, alleging they were targeted due to their Aboriginal heritage. That case is ongoing.