Wrongly Jailed NSW Man Wins $450k After Police Evidence Fabrication
A remarkable case in New South Wales has just come to a close, and it has drawn national attention because of the people involved and the shocking turn of events. A man named Luke Moore, from regional NSW, has been awarded more than $450,000 in damages after it was found that he had been wrongly imprisoned. What makes this case particularly striking is that the false evidence which led to his arrest came from none other than Daniel Keneally, the son of former NSW premier and senator Kristina Keneally.
Back in February 2021, Moore was arrested after Keneally, then a serving police officer, claimed that Moore had made death threats against a detective during a phone call to Newtown Police Station. The arrest meant Moore spent 22 days behind bars. But as it turned out, the claims had been fabricated. Moore had actually called the station to complain about police strip searches and to promote a website he had created about the issue, not to threaten anyone.
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The wrongful imprisonment caused enormous personal strain. Moore described suffering anxiety, depression, and symptoms later diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder. He argued in court that he should be compensated more than $3 million for the harm he endured. While the judge did not accept that level of damages, it was ruled that he had indeed been maliciously prosecuted. As a result, the NSW Supreme Court awarded him just over $456,000, along with an order for the state to cover his legal fees.
Daniel Keneally himself was eventually convicted in 2023 for fabricating the evidence. Instead of jail time, he was given a 15-month intensive corrections order, a $2,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service. He is no longer part of the police force. The court heard that his actions had set in motion a series of events that unfairly stripped Moore of his freedom and damaged his mental health.
The judge made it clear that while Moore may have made sweeping and sometimes inflammatory allegations against police during that phone call, nothing he said could reasonably be taken as a threat. The fabricated statement was the sole reason for his arrest, and that arrest, the judge ruled, was both wrongful and malicious.
For Moore, this was not his first legal battle with police. He had previously received compensation after earlier incidents involving strip searches. Yet this case stands out because of the extraordinary circumstances — a former premier’s son, working as a police officer, inventing evidence that put an innocent man in prison.
The decision serves as a stark reminder of how devastating false claims can be when made by someone in authority. It also underlines the court’s recognition that wrongful imprisonment inflicts real and lasting harm, even if compensation can never fully undo the damage. In Moore’s case, justice has finally been delivered, though the scars of his ordeal remain.
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