Corruption watchdog charges police officer over alleged pepper spray assault

September 12, 2026 — 7:00pmA Victoria police officer has been charged by the state’s corruption watchdog with assaulting and falsely imprisoning a teenager, who is also suing the officer in the state’s Supreme Court.Constable Mitchell Andrews was charged in July with false imprisonment and common law assault by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, following an investigation known as Operation Yew.A Victoria Police constable has been charged with using excessive force.Paul RovereThe alleged victim, Jaimi Cook, who was 17 at the time of his interaction with Andrews, has filed a statement of claim with the Supreme Court and will pursue damages from the Victorian government.Cook was one of six teenagers Andrews told to line up and provide their names, after security staff at Westfield Knox Shopping Centre asked police to remove the group from a playground in May 2024.However, Cook refused to give his name. He said: “don’t f---ing touch me” when Andrews allegedly attempted to stop him from walking away, according to court documents.The teenager alleges Andrews grabbed him by the right arm while another officer placed him in a headlock, before he was taken to the ground.“The police officers continued to forcefully apply pressure to the plaintiff’s body as he wriggled in pain and told the police officers to let go of him. Officer Andrews then sprayed the plaintiff in the face with his police-issuedoleoresin capsicum spray,” according to the statement of claim.While pinned to the ground and placed in handcuffs, Cook insisted he had done nothing wrong, but eventually provided his name to officers and asked them to notify his mother.A check of the LEAP database revealed Cook had no criminal history and no interactions with police, but a search of his bag found he was in possession of a small quantity of cannabis and magic mushrooms.He was taken to Knox police station and later charged with two counts of possessing a drug of dependence and two counts of resisting an emergency worker on duty. But all charges were withdrawn at a hearing in a children’s court in February last year.Cook, now 19, told The Age he had suffered from panic attacks and depression since the alleged assault.“It’s basically just made me shut out from the world. I’m too scared to go outside, or even to the city, or any place where there could be a police presence,” he said.Cook’s lawyer, Jeremy King from Robinson Gill Lawyers, alleges in court documents that police did not have a lawful basis to detain his client or reasonable grounds to arrest him, while the search of his backpack was also unlawful.King, according to the statement of claim, will pursue general damages for the injuries and medical costs incurred by his client, but will also seek aggravated damages based on the alleged police misconduct.“The conduct constituting the batteries, separately and as a course of conduct perpetrated by the police officers in concert was a violent and inexcusable abuse of authority, perpetrated in a manner designed to increase the plaintiff’s pain, humiliation and suffering,” according to the statement of claim.The officers involved in Cook’s arrest are also accused of making false statements to cover their tracks.“The police officers prepared, and relied upon, statements that were misleading in material respects and sought to inaccurately and retrospectively justify the plaintiff’s unlawful arrest and the excessive use of force upon him,” according to documents filed with the court.A Victoria Police spokeswoman declined to comment while the matter was before the courts. King also declined to comment on the case.IBAC previously released a statement confirming it had charged Andrews with two offences.“Operation Yew was established by IBAC’s Focused Police Complaints Team, who assess and investigate serious single-incident complaints about Victoria Police by those at a higher risk of experiencing police misconduct, including children and young people.“As the matter is now before the court, no further information is available,” says the IBAC statement.Last week, IBAC announced another officer had been charged over the alleged assault of a teenager during an arrest in Braybrook in October 2025.The leading senior constable was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and two counts of unlawful assault, following a separate investigation known as Operation Bunya.“It is alleged that the Leading Senior Constable unlawfully struck the teen with a baton multiple times and stood on the teenager while they were being restrained on the ground,” according to a statement from IBAC.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.More:CourtsFor subscribersIBACVictoria Police conductFrom our partners