Tradie Luke, 35, was pulled over by police. Eight days later he died in a coma, wearing his Bunnings jumper with a beer by his side. Now two cops have denied manslaughter charges over their role in his death
Two Victoria Police officers have pleaded not guilty to negligent manslaughter over the death of tradie Luke Briggs, 35, who became unresponsive after a violent struggle during his arrest in Melbourne in July 2024. Briggs, a builder with a history of assaults, theft and driving offences, was stopped over alleged traffic matters in a Hoppers Crossing car park and reportedly resisted officers who used batons, pepper spray foam and a "seatbelt hold" restraint before he stopped breathing.
Constable Alexander Papanastassis, 30, and Sergeant James Fitzgerald, 46, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, where the officers' use-of-force report and Briggs's background were outlined. He was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition and placed in an induced coma, with his life support switched off eight days later as he lay in his favourite Bunnings jumper with a beer beside him, surrounded by family. Police said they later found items including an ice pipe, scales and a substance consistent with methamphetamine, and heard Briggs had bought drugs earlier that day, though it is unclear whether toxicology confirmed meth in his system at the time of the arrest.
- Two Victoria Police officers deny negligent manslaughter over Luke Briggs's death.
- Briggs, 35, died eight days after a violent arrest struggle in July 2024.
- Officers used batons, pepper spray and a restraint hold before he stopped breathing.
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Two Victoria Police officers, Constable Alexander Papanastassis and Sergeant James Fitzgerald, are facing negligent manslaughter charges over the death of Luke Briggs, a 35-year-old builder from Melbourne. Briggs became unresponsive during a struggle when police stopped him over traffic matters in a Hoppers Crossing car park in July 2024, and he died in hospital eight days later after his life support was switched off.
The case centres on what happened during the arrest, including the officers' use of batons, pepper spray foam and a restraint technique known as a "seatbelt hold". Briggs had a history of assaults, theft and driving offences, and police say drug-related items were later found, though it remains unclear whether this was connected to his death. Both officers have pleaded not guilty and the matter is now before Melbourne Magistrates' Court.
This case matters because it raises questions about how police use force during arrests and what happens when someone dies in custody or shortly after police contact. It also touches on the accountability of officers in such circumstances, an issue with significant public interest in Australia and elsewhere.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for the officers argue that policing sometimes requires force to control a violent, resisting subject, and that officers must make split-second decisions without the benefit of hindsight. They point to Briggs's reported struggle, his history of assaults, and the items later found consistent with drug use as context suggesting the officers were responding to a genuinely volatile and unpredictable situation using tactics and equipment for which they were trained. In this view, tragic outcomes do not automatically equate to criminal negligence, and officers should not be presumed guilty simply because someone died following a lawful use-of-force encounter.
The case against
Advocates for accountability argue that a healthy 35-year-old man should not die eight days after a routine traffic stop, and that the use of batons, pepper spray foam and a seatbelt hold demands rigorous scrutiny regardless of the subject's background or resistance. They contend that police are granted force powers precisely because they carry the responsibility to apply them proportionately and safely, and that Briggs's prior record or alleged drug use should not be treated as justification that lowers the standard officers are held to. In this view, manslaughter charges reflect the seriousness with which the justice system must treat any death in custody, ensuring families receive answers and that restraint techniques are properly examined in open court.