Respected doctor sues cops after they ‘falsely accused him on Facebook of stealing from a bottle shop before throwing him in the back of a divvy van’
- Respected doctor is suing Victoria Police for defamation over a Facebook post
- Prasannan Ponganamparambile was accused of stealing from a bottle shop
- Head of rehabilitation medicine was wrongly identified as a thief by police
A highly-respected doctor is suing Victoria Police for defamation after claiming he was falsely accused of stealing from a bottle shop.
Prasannan Ponganamparambile, the head of rehabilitation medicine at Latrobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon, was the subject of a Facebook post by the police force accusing him of the crime in May, 2020.
The post, asking for the person’s identity, showed Dr Ponganamparambile holding a bottle of wine leaving the store.
‘The identity of the male picture is wanted in relation to a theft that occurred in Pakenham,’ the post reads.
Prasannan Ponganamparambile was the subject of a Facebook post by the police force accusing him of stealing from a local bottle shop
The post, which has since been deleted, was shared almost 80 times and ‘liked’ more than 20 times, according to court documents reported by the ABC.
Peter O’Brien, the legal representative for Dr Ponganamparambile, says the post clearly identified the doctor and suggested that he was a criminal, a claim he vehemently denies.
They said the post was online for ‘several hours’ despite the doctor calling Crime Stoppers to say they had incorrectly identified him as the thief.
‘By reason of the publication by the Victorian Police Force… and the grapevine effect of that publication, the plaintiff has been gravely injured in his character and reputation, and has suffered substantial hurt, distress and embarrassment,’ the ABC reported court documents saying.
The post, asking for the person’s identity, showed Dr Ponganamparambile holding a bottle of wine leaving the store. It has since been deleted
‘He was told that it was the right of the police to keep the photo on Facebook until the investigation was completed and that he could seek legal advice if he wanted to dispute that.’
They said the officers showed ‘arrogance’ after allegedly detaining the doctor in a police van following the incident, and it took Victoria Police two days to remove the post.
Dr Ponganamparambile’s representatives also alleged he was denied a lawyer during police questioning.
‘The plaintiff’s wife questioned the police actions and was told that this was protocol and that they were taking him to the other side of the police station,’ Mr O’Brien said.
His wife said Dr Ponganamparambile was taken to the police station and interviewed for 19 minutes before being arrested and fingerprinted.
They said Dr Ponganamparambile was robbed of his rights during the process and are suing Victoria Police for defamation.
Victoria Police told the ABC they would not comment as the case remains before the courts.
Dr Ponganamparambile is the head of rehabilitation medicine at Latrobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon