Then NSW police officers jailed for pepper-spraying, stomping and dragging woman during welfare check
Two former NSW Police officers, Timothy John Trautsch (30) and Nathan Black (28), have been sentenced to prison over a cruel and sustained attack on an unwell woman during a welfare check in January 2023. Both men pleaded guilty to multiple charges including assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, common assault, and misusing a prohibited weapon.
In court, Judge Graham Turnbull described the assault as “a deliberate and ongoing attack” marked by “complete and utter contempt for the victim”.
Timothy Trautsch received a head sentence of 5 years and 9 months, with a non‑parole period of 3 years.
Nathan Black was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months, also serving at least 3 years behind bars.
The disturbing details, recorded on body‑worn cameras, revealed that the victim—naked and experiencing a psychotic episode—was pepper‑sprayed to the face and genitals, kicked, stomped on, and dragged by her hair along the road. Trautsch is heard saying, “That’s enough, there could be cameras.”
Adding insult to injury, Black shared video footage of the assault with a colleague via Facebook Messenger, accompanied by crude remarks such as "She was f*ed"**”
Judge Turnbull ruled the behaviour to be among the most serious breaches of the law—brutal, completely unnecessary, and deeply disturbing