New South Wales police have reached a settlement in a trespass case initiated by two Indigenous mothers. The case, launched in April 2024, was settled on confidential terms three weeks before its scheduled trial in the supreme court.
One complainant, identified by the pseudonym Megan, stated that police attended her regional NSW home over 150 times in 20 months to conduct bail checks on her two sons. Many of these visits reportedly took place between midnight and 4am. Megan said the visits were stressful and led to her children missing school due to exhaustion.
The Justice and Equity Centre, representing Megan, argued that many bail checks were conducted without court authorisation, which they contended amounted to trespass. NSW police stated that officers were acting lawfully and that such checks are an important tool for public safety.
However, a 2025 report from the state's Law Enforcement Conduct Commission found that police were stretching their authority by relying on a weak legal principle to conduct bail compliance checks without court authorisation. The other complainant, Joanne, reported over 90 police visits to her western Sydney home in 18 months for bail checks on her son.
Megan and her sons have also filed a separate racial discrimination case against NSW police in the federal court, alleging the boys were targeted because they are Aboriginal. That case is ongoing.