The Christie v Leachinsky requirement that an arrested person be informed of the true ground of arrest applies in New South Wales as received common law. An arresting officer's subjective belief that an offence has been committed, where that belief is not based on reasonable grounds, cannot render the arrest lawful. Where an arrest is unlawful, forcible entry to premises to effect that arrest constitutes trespass to land. Where multiple causes of action (trespass to person, trespass to land, false imprisonment) arise from one series of closely connected events involving police misconduct, an aggregate award of exemplary damages is appropriate.
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