A man who was maliciously prosecuted and wrongfully imprisoned on the basis of false claims made by Kristina Keneally's son has been awarded nearly half a million dollars.
Luke Brett Moore was jailed for more than three weeks after the son of NSW's first woman premier and later Labor senator made a false statement about him.
Daniel Keneally claimed Mr. Moore threatened to kill a police officer at Sydney's Newtown Police Station during a phone call, triggering the man's arrest by the Fixated Persons Unit.
But Keneally was unaware the call was being secretly recorded by Mr. Moore, who pleaded for police to listen to it during his 22-day stint in custody.
An officer did listen to the recording on Mr. Moore's 13th day in custody but failed to take appropriate steps, a court found on Friday.
The charge was eventually dropped months after Mr. Moore was bailed against police wishes.
The NSW Supreme Court on Friday found Keneally and the other officer maliciously prosecuted Mr. Moore and awarded the victim $456,000 in damages.
'The impact of being in prison for something that he did not do cannot be understated,' Justice Richard Cavanagh said.
Luke Brett Moore has been awarded nearly half a million dollars after Daniel Keneally claimed he threatened to kill a police officer.
Daniel Keneally was sentenced to a 15-month intensive correction order in February. He is pictured with his mother Kristina (middle left) and ex-Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right).
'His period in gaol was difficult and distressing and made more difficult by his pre-existing paranoia, mania and other mental health problems.'
The state of NSW increased Mr. Moore’s stress, aggravation and hurt by not expressing any remorse or regret for wrongfully imprisoning him, the judge found.
But he determined Mr. Moore’s argument that he was entitled to more than $3 million could not possibly be justified.
Medical evidence did not support the activist’s claim that he developed or will continue to suffer from a long-term psychological condition as a result of the illegal jailing, Justice Cavanagh found.
The decision marks Mr. Moore’s third successful claim for compensation from the state as a result of police conduct against him, the judge noted.
Friday’s judgment came more than a year after the state government conceded the founder of ISuePolice had been maliciously prosecuted but said the blame lay only with Keneally.
The former premier’s son was convicted of fabricating evidence in February 2024.
He was spared a stint behind bars when sentenced to a 15-month intensive correction order.
Former police officer Daniel Keneally (pictured) was found guilty of fabricating a statement that wrongfully landed a man behind bars.
Kristina Keneally doesn't look like this anymore! Politician's new look as she dazzles at dinner.
Keneally is no longer employed by the NSW Police Force.
Keneally was charged in October 2022 after the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission investigated an internal police probe which initially cleared him of wrongdoing.
The commission's report into the case, released in August 2024, recommended introducing telephone systems in police stations that can record conversations.
Newtown Police Station already had such an ability, but the report found Keneally was not aware of it.
Keneally is one of three children to the US-born Kristina Keneally.
Ms Keneally served as NSW premier from 2009 to 2011, before being elected to the Senate in 2018.
She served as Labor's home affairs and immigration spokeswoman until 2022, when failing to pull off a bold switch to the lower house.