Belinda Goodwin's arrest was caught on video. Photo / A Current Affair
Belinda Goodwin's arrest was caught on video. Photo / A Current Affair
An Aussie mum was hauled off in her undies by two police officers, in full view of her neighbours, after what she says was a misunderstanding over an unpaid bill.
Solo mother Belinda Goodwin was dragged from her Gold Coast apartment as her terrified 12-year-old daughter filmed, sobbing while her mother protested her arrest.
The pair say they were both humiliated by the experience, which they recounted for Australia’s A Current Affair programme.
Goodwin said it all started when she was unable to pay for petrol in June when her Apple Pay system would not connect.
She left her licence at the 7-Eleven station and promised to return and pay but says she forgot - until police arrived two months later to serve her with a warrant to appear in court.
She says she was told that the matter would be settled if the bill was paid, so she returned to the petrol station and paid the outstanding amount - A$58 ($63)
She thought the matter was settled, until two uniformed police officers arrived at her home on Saturday.
“So I open the door and I was like, literally naked. And, they just said: ‘Can you put something on? We’re going to come and sit and talk to you’,” Goodwin said.
As her daughter, Summer, filmed what unfolded, Goodwin was then removed from her home with force, clad only in a T-shirt and underwear.
“It was very humiliating for me as well because we just moved in. Like what if they thought that my mum had done something very wrong,” Summer said of the experience
The distressing footage captured Goodwin pleading with officers that she had never been arrested before and screaming for help from her new neighbours.
Belinda Goodwin's arrest was caught on video. Photo / A Current Affair
“What for? What have I done?” she asked, with one officer telling the desperate mum: “You’re under arrest by virtue of a warrant”.
She then asked again not to be taken from her daughter, only to be told that Summer would be fine to stay at their home by herself until her mother returned.
“Do not dare throw me in there,” Goodwin screams at cops as they prepare to put her in the police vehicle. “My poor child!”
“Your room is all unlocked, you’re able to stay by yourself, you’re 12 years old. OK?” an officer tells the girl.
“How long? I’ve never stayed by myself … Do I have to stay by myself for a night?’” an emotional Summer replied.
The officer then tells the girl that her mother would “be back soon” before neighbours step in to comfort the girl.
One neighbour, Jenny, told A Current Affair that the arrest was “completely over the top”.
“It was so aggressive, so aggressive. You would think she’s a murderer or something,” she said.
“She [Summer] didn’t know where her mum was going, how long she would be gone for, she had no contact details, she had her mother’s phone so she had no way to contact her, and she was just in tears.”
Officers returned shortly after to ask Summer to fetch a pair of pants for her mother - and then she was gone.
Belinda Goodwin says she wants an apology from police, though she did admit to being cheeky to one arresting officer when he first served the initial court summons.
She revealed she had questioned why she was being summonsed to court over the bill and accused the officer of being rude, asking why her case deserved the attention when more serious crimes were being committed in the community.
Belinda Goodwin and her daughter Summer say they were left humiliated by the arrest. Photo / A Current Affair
“I want a public apology. I want them to come here and apologise to my neighbours. I want them to apologise to my daughter,” Goodwin told A Current Affair.
“I just want them to say sorry,” her daughter added.
A Queensland Police spokesman said a review of police body camera footage had found that the officers’ actions were “considered, appropriate and lawful”.
“Once the woman was advised she was being placed under arrest she became obstructive to officers, refusing to accompany them willingly, at which time a 12-year-old girl at the property became upset,” the statement read.
“Given the short period of time the woman was expected to be with police, neighbours cared for the child while officers dealt with the woman before returning her home.
“The matter regarding the alleged, outstanding fuel payment was just one of the matters police wanted to speak to the woman about, but it was not the primary purpose officers attended.
“Regarding the stealing complaint, police have not received any advice from the service station of a desire to withdraw the matter.”
