Well, the inquest found that he was arrested for disorderly conduct, was extremely drunk and then resisted arrest. As he was being transported into the police station, he resisted again, punching the Police Officer in the jaw, and the police officer hit him a number of times.
Ignoring a police officer's instructions almost always leads to use of force in some way. If you make the decision to punch a police officer, you should expect that you are going to receive a number of hits back. You don't expect to die for it though...
...The idea that Police caused the injuries that resulted in his death were rejected in court, with the court on appeal finding that the notion was 'not reasonably open on the evidence' - on the basis that it's almost medically impossible to almost cleave a liver in two with a few punches.
121. Senior Sergeant Hurley arrived in Dee Street in a police van to protect Gladys Nugent, the complainant in a domestic violence matter, while she retrieved medication from her house. Hurley was accompanied by PLO Lloyd Bengaroo [Bengaroo]. Mr Hurley arrested Patrick Nugent aka Bramwell [Nugent] for disorderly conduct at a residence in Dee Street, and placed him in the back of the van. Nugent was heavily intoxicated.
122. Mulrunji was walking past at the time. After a verbal exchange, initially with Bengaroo, he was arrested by Hurley. Mulrunji resisted the arrest and Hurley forcibly placed him in the back of the police van with Nugent.
124. It seems clear that Mulrunji struck Hurley as Hurley tried to extract him from the police van. According to eye witnesses, Penny Sibley and Alfred Bonner, a struggle ensued as Mulrunji was being taken into the police station and Hurley was seen to strike Murlrunji, although Hurley has repeatedly denied that he did so.
3. The DSC found that Senior Sergeant Hurley and the deceased fell through the doorway of the police station onto the floor and then Mr Hurley, angered by the unruly behaviour of the deceased, hit the deceased "whilst he was on the floor a number of times in a direct response to himself having been hit in the jaw and then falling to the floor". 2 The DSC concluded that the fatal injuries suffered by the deceased were not caused in, or as a result of, the fall, but by Senior Sergeant Hurley punching the deceased after the fall.
