March 7– A 53-year-old man tells news.com.au that he had been strip searched while attending a Mardi Gras afterparty event at the Royal Botanical Gardens. The man said he had been stopped by a drug detection dog at the entrance of the event while picking up tickets for a friend. After being taken to a police search area, it's alleged that he was patted down before being told to drop his pants and underwear. The 53-year-old recalled that there was a gap in the tarpaulin covering the area where search was taking place, leaving him exposed to onlookers while this was happening. "They could see] my bare butt," he told news.com.au. "I was not comfortable with that at all". No drugs were reportedly found during the search. Speaking about the incident, the 53-year-old said "It's a complete abuse of their powers ... I feel embarrassed and humiliated."Daniel Piotrowski. Man 'forced to strip naked' at Mardi Gras event. news.com.au, 7 March 2013 The man had subsequently launched legal action against New South Wales Police, with the matter later being settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.Obriens Solicitors. GL v State of NSW: Assault, battery, false imprisonment. (Date not recorded) The incident was one of dozens of alleged cases of police misconduct which had reportedly taken place at the 2013 Mardi Gras Parade and subsequent afterparty celebrations.acon. Policing at NSW Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) Events and Venues. (Report, September 2013) Pg. 5
