Convicted drug dealer sues South Australia Police for $500,000 – alleging a violent arrest that left him almost blind in one eye
A methamphetamine dealer is suing South Australia police for $500,000, claiming he was left nearly blind in one eye when he was allegedly attacked during his arrest.
Convicted criminal Rhys Aaron Johns, 32, has filed a claim in the South Australian District Court over the arrest at his Parafield Gardens home in Adelaide’s northern suburbs in January 2021.
Johns claimed he was assaulted nineteen times, despite not resisting arrest or posing any threat to police, who were searching his home for drugs.
He said officers punched him in the face several times and used pepper spray on him as he lay on the ground.
Johns also claimed that police did not tell him that he had been arrested or charged with any crime before the alleged assault.
Convicted drug dealer Rhys Aaron Johns (pictured right) is suing South Australia police for $500,000, claiming he was left nearly blind in one eye when he was allegedly attacked during his arrest
He said he suffered injuries to his eye, face, stomach and back when an officer allegedly struck him with a weapon and kneed him, leaving him unable to work.
His lawyer, Andrew Carpenter, said CCTV footage from John’s home showed he surrendered as soon as police approached him.
‘He has lost 96 percent of his vision in his left eye. He needed facial reconstructive surgery. He suffers from PTSD because of what happened to him,” Mr Carpenter said 7News.
“You would never expect police officers to do that to you… it was honestly just an absolute robbery.”
South Australia Police denied Johns’ allegations and said he was not entitled to any compensation.
Police went to Johns’ home after 18 grams of methamphetamine, scales and bags were found in his car.
They found another 27 grams of methamphetamine, worth $30,000, when they searched Johns’ home, after which he and his partner were charged with drug trafficking.
Rhys Aaron Johns (pictured in blue vest) has filed a claim in the South Australian District Court over the arrest at his Parafield Gardens home in Adelaide’s northern suburbs in January 2021
Mr Carpenter said charges of resisting arrest and assaulting police were later dropped.
Johns was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2023 after he and his partner pleaded guilty.
‘I think the images speak for themselves. People would never expect something like that from officers on duty, they would expect it from a bunch of drunk teenagers in a nightclub,” Mr Carpenter said.
‘Now I’d hate to think what would have happened if he hadn’t had cameras there, but we see nowadays people catching the police attacking them through CCTV or even mobile phones.’