An ex-New England police officer has been ordered to pay the legal fees of the state's police force after his five-year NSW Supreme Court battle was tossed out.
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Mr A Jones sought an extension on the case that started in 2015, seeking damages for psychiatric injuries he claimed arose in his work for the NSW Police Force in regional NSW.
He was transferred from Windsor to Walgett in 1988, which he refers to as "ground zero" for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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In 1991, he moved to Tamworth and he was medically discharged in 2002 for an injury to his arm.
Mr Jones claimed that his superior in Tamworth told him to stop arresting drug dealers as it was "detrimental" to the reputation of the police station.
When he wouldn't back down, he said he was threatened with being discharged from the force if further complaints were received.
He argues that his then undiagnosed psychiatric symptoms and the threat of 'unreasonable disciplinary action' contributed to his decision to retire.
After repeated injuries to his right arm and a slew of traumatic events, Mr Jones claims his mental health took a turn for the worst.
In one incident, an offender took Mr Jones' colleague's revolver out of its holster and turned it on them. In another, an arrest resulted in Mr Jones being surrounded by 300 to 400 protestors that ended in him firing warning shots into the air.
One of his police officer friends also murdered his wife and then took his own life as the result of investigations that were being undertaken.
Mr Jones was also assaulted by a bikie gang while helping a woman, and claims bashings from Walgett locals were frequent in the course of his duties. He claimed the NSW Police Force was negligent in failing to maintain a safe system of work.
A later amendment to Mr Jones' argument saw the number of traumatic incidents climb from eight to 26, including an assault with a syringe by an offender infected with Hepatitis C.
On one occasion, Mr Jones responded to a car crash where two young girls died. One was partially decapitated and he tried to resuscitate the other to no avail.
Mr Jones was diagnosed with PTSD in 2011, forensic psychiatrist Alexander McFarlane told the supreme court.
"Mr Jones, at the time of his medical discharge suffered from a psychological injury as a consequence of his police service, although this was not diagnosed at the time," he said.
"In the course of his duties, he had been exposed to multiple events of a highly traumatic nature that were a substantial cause of his chronic PTSD."
Mr Jones slept with a loaded gun under his bed for a time and said he suffered from shaking hands and distress until his symptoms became unbearable in 2011.
Judge Joseph Campbell said he wasn't satisfied with Mr Jones' application to extend was within the time limit.
But, he said that if the matter was allowed to proceed, Mr Jones would have evidence that would likely support an award of damages in his favour.
"That is, I am satisfied that in general terms Mr Jones has shown that he has a viable cause of action," he said.
Judge Campbell ruled that the defendant could not have a fair trial because defending a case with multiple incidents more than a quarter of a century old would be "insurmountable".
The case was dismissed on June 30.