Lisa Lewis: Sex worker who dreamed of becoming a cop to help her crime-ridden community sues the police force after her application was rejected because of her line of work
- OnlyFans model and escort is ‘loud and proud’ sex worker
- She moved from New Zealand to Darwin to join the police
A woman who desperately wants to become a police officer to help tackle a crime wave plaguing her community, was turned down because she’s a ‘loud and proud’ sex worker.
Lisa Lewis, an OnlyFans model and escort, moved from New Zealand to Darwin after seeing a TV interview last May with acting Northern Territory police commissioner Michael Murphy.
Mr Murphy appealed for recruits to help deal with the Alice Springs crime explosion, saying ‘Anyone who wants to come and join us, please come and put an application in online.’
Ms Lewis did so, but she has now accused the NT Police of discrimination after her application was knocked back because of her ‘declared history’.
Her complaint to the NT Anti-Discrimination Commission could become a test case of laws banning discrimination against someone over sex work.
Lisa Lewis (pictured right), who desperately wanted to become a police officer to help tackle the Northern Territory’s crime wave, has been turned down because she’s a sex worker. She is pictured after having run onto the pitch at an All Blacks game in 2006
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Ms Lewis’ application had advanced to the point where police recruiters asked for her fingerprints, identification documents, driving record, medical history, details of ‘declarable associates’ and her criminal history.
She declared her two brushes with the law – running onto the pitch in a bikini at an All Blacks game in 2006 and a common assault charge for pushing a man who knocked her teeth out in 2012.
The NT Police guidelines say ‘simple offences’ such as common assault will not exclude someone from being recruited if they happened more than 10 years ago.
But Ms Lewis said she got a call from a police recruitment officer who said due to her ‘unique profession’ her application would be sent to the police integrity panel.
The officer asked if Ms Lewis was currently employed as a sex worker – which is not illegal in either New Zealand or the Northern Territory – and she said she was.
In a letter to the integrity panel, she said she still worked in the sex industry ‘because I need money to live and survive’ and that she would quit if she joined the police.
Brendan Muldoon of the Professional Standards Command wrote to Ms Lewis on July 27, rejecting her application and banning her from reapplying for five years.
Lisa Lewis (pictured), an OnlyFans model and escort, moved from New Zealand to Darwin after seeing a TV interview last May with acting NT police commissioner Michael Murphy
Ms Lewis is pictured running onto the pitch during a rugby Test between the All Blacks and Ireland in 2006
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‘As a result of your declared history, the panel has determined that your application is unsuccessful,’ Commander Muldoon wrote.
‘Furthermore, you have been excluded from applying for a position with the Northern Territory Police Force until 27/07/2028, this being five years from the date of the determination.’
Ms Lewis asked for her application to be reconsidered, but Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter said the process was in accordance with NT Police policies.
‘All offers of employment are at the discretion of the Commission and are based on the suitability of a candidate,’ he wrote.
Ms Lewis said the police seemed to have a moral objection to how she makes her living.
‘I’ve always been a loud and proud sex worker,’ she told The Australian. ‘It’s a legal job, I pay more tax than most New Zealanders. I’ve only just moved here and I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.’
She said the NT police have no right ‘to discriminate under moral principles’ and that sex worker are law-abiding, just like any other workers.
‘I just want to ensure the NT police are held accountable for their actions … if they have a history of rejecting sex workers, maybe they should think twice about it.’
Ms Lewis has since applied for a job with the Victorian police and will sit an exam on August 28.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the NT Police for comment.
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