Taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in compensation for people unlawfully strip searched by police, following a landmark Supreme Court decision.

The court today ruled that the search of one woman at a music festival amounted to assault, with thousands of other potential victims now able to seek damages.

When Raya Meredith arrived at the Splendour in the Grass music festival in 2018, she was happy and excited. She had no idea of the trauma that would soon follow.

The then 27-year-old was strip searched and forced naked in a makeshift tent as police searched her for drugs. Nothing was found.

Today, more than eight years later, the Supreme Court ruled that search was illegal in what’s being described as the largest class action against any police force in Australian

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