Cop guilty verdict hailed as win for Indigenous rights

By TOM WARK

A court finding that a police officer’s dangerous driving killed an Aboriginal teenager has been hailed as a watershed moment for Indigenous rights.

Benedict Bryant, 47, was found guilty on Friday of dangerous driving occasioning the death of Dunghutti teen Jai Kalani Wright in February 2022 in an inner-Sydney suburb.

Wright was riding a stolen trail bike when Bryant parked his unmarked police car at the end of a bike path he knew the teen was riding down at speed.

Judge Jane Culver ruled Bryant should have known placing his car without its lights and sirens activated could have caused a collision which posed a serious risk to the 16-year-old.

Benedict Bryant should have foreseen how he parked could cause a collision, the judge found. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Bryant was behind the wheel when he parked the car at the end of a bike path he knew the teen was riding down at speed.

After colliding with the car, Jai was thrown off his bike and suffered critical head injuries, dying at Prince Alfred Hospital the following day.

Bryant’s verdict likely marks the first time a serving police officer has been found guilty for the death of an Indigenous person in custody or a police operation in NSW, the state Aboriginal Legal Service said after the ruling.

‘Lack of accountability’

“There is a particular lack of accountability for police who cause harm to Aboriginal people,” principal legal officer Nadine Miles said.

“The conviction of Benedict Bryant breaks with this trend and is an important step in the right direction.”

While there was no evidence the sergeant was intending to injure or kill the teenager, the judge found a person of his experience should have known creating the obstacle would pose a danger.

Judge Culver found Bryant also failed to consider how other parked cars in the intersection would have impacted the boy’s ability to see the police car in his path.

Parked cars posed an obstruction requiring the officer to exercise more caution, the judge said.

“The presence of these other vehicles posed a visible and physical obstruction to the accused … this required the accused to exercise a greater degree of caution,” she said.

More than 40 members of the teenager’s family packed the Darlinghurst court room, with dozens of others filling an overflow room.

There were gasps and tears as the judge revealed her verdict while Bryant sat with his head bowed and eyes closed for most of the proceedings.

Speaking outside court, a supporter of Bryant indicated he would be appealing the verdict and said the incident would never have occurred if everyone was “in bed, like they should be”.

Lachlan Wright hoped the verdict could change relations between police and Indigenous people. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Jai’s father Lachlan Wright said outside court he hoped the verdict could mark a reset of relations between police and First Nations people.

“If things can change in the future, in regards to relationships between Aboriginal people in this country and the police force, maybe this won’t happen again,” he said.

Likely appeal

Bryant’s lawyer, himself a former police officer, decried Judge Culver’s decision, saying he would appeal at the first opportunity and blaming the tragic death on the victim’s actions.

“(The incident) could have been avoided if everyone was at home and in bed, like they should be,” Paul McGirr told reporters outside court in reference to the 7.20am collision.

“It’s a bigger problem that’s in the community in respect to youth out on the streets doing things they shouldn’t do.”

Bryant will return for sentencing on April 17.

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AAP