A Muslim woman who accused a Sydney police officer of ripping off her burqa to see her face has had her jail sentence overturned after a judge decided the woman's identity could not be verified.
Carnita Matthews, 47, was initially sentenced to six months in jail for deliberately making a false declaration to police.
She alleged an officer had removed her burqa to confirm her identity after pulling her over while she was driving near Campbelltown despite a police in-car camera recording that confirms the officer did no such thing.
However, Judge Clive Jeffreys said that he could not be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman who made the complaint to police was Mrs Matthews.
The judge said the signatures on Mrs Matthew's license and the signature on the statement given to police were completely different.
Jeffreys added that the person who gave the statutory declaration to police was wearing a burqa at the time, making it difficult to confirm that the person making the declaration was in fact Mrs Matthews.
Mrs Matthew's victory was marred by violent scenes outside the Local Downing Centre courts, where a large group of her supporters clashed with police and media.
The largely male group chanted "Allah Akhbar" as they fanned out of the court in a tight group around Mrs Mathews.
Mrs Matthew’s lawyer Stephen Hopper said: "Carnita's feeling very relived. She's glad it all over. It's been a harrowing experience."
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