Tanunda woman Jennifer Lee Ruppelt found not guilty of assaulting police in May 2011 A YOUNG woman who claimed she was bashed at a country police station has been acquitted of assaulting an officer and says she is glad her two-year ordeal "is over." The Elizabeth Magistrates Court this morning handed down its verdict on Jennifer Lee Ruppelt, 20, of Tanunda. She had been charged with assaulting police, refusing to give her name and address and disorderly behaviour. Prosecutors alleged the offences occurred in May 2011 when Ms Ruppelt "struck" Senior Constable Neil Bailey at the Nuriootpa police station. Jennifer Lee Ruppelt, 20, has been found not guilty of assaulting a police officer. Ms Ruppelt denied the charges, claiming police had used excessive force during her arrest and time at the station. She claimed her head was pushed against the charge counter and that she was strangled until she passed out. During the trial, the court viewed CCTV vision of Ms Ruppelt banging her own head against a bed and placing her own hands on her throat. Senior Constable Neil Bailey. Giving evidence, Ms Ruppelt said she had been pointing to her throat to show she needed air and water. The court also heard Sen-Constable Bailey had been the subject of two previous investigations for alleged poor conduct. One investigation was an internal Commissioner's Inquiry relating to alleged misconduct towards a female police officer at a December 2010 social event. An altercation between an 18-year-old woman and several police officers at a regional South Australian police station has been captured on CCTV. The other was a Police Complaints Authority matter. The trial also heard evidence from Senior Constable Martin Borgas, who had been on duty the day Ruppelt was arrested. He said he saw Ms Ruppelt being held in a headlock by Sen-Constable Bailey. "I could hear her voice get hoarser and choked off as if she was having her neck squeezed," he said. It appeared from what I had seen to be excessive in the circumstances. Today, Magistrate Greg Fisher found Ruppelt not guilty of assaulting police and disorderly behaviour. However, he found her guilty of refusing to give her name and address. Mr Fisher said Ms Ruppelt had not been an impressive witness. He said her evidence was "one of reconstruction, not recollection." "She was trying to exaggerate and embellish her evidence in my view," he said. In contrast, he said Sen-Constable Bailey was honest with his evidence and did his best to recall the events of that day. Mr Fisher said Ms Ruppelt was not guilty of assault because her altercation with police was unintended and unforeseen. Although her hands did strike Sen-Constable Bailey, she was in a "somewhat hysterical" state and therefore lacked intent to assault the officer. Mr Fisher did not record a conviction but fined Ms Ruppelt $100. Outside court, Ms Ruppelt said she did not want to dwell on the verdict. "I'm just glad it's over," she said. It's been a good outcome, I'm happy with it, that's all I want to say.