A Kiwi sex worker has accused an Australian police department of discrimination, claiming they rejected her application to become a cop due to her line of work.
Lisa Lewis recently made the move from New Zealand to Darwin in the Northern Territory to pursue her childhood dreams of becoming a police officer, she claimed.
The OnlyFans model and escort applied for the role after seeing the Northern Territory's appeal for recruits to assist in the Alice Springs crime explosion earlier this year.
The advertisement for the position was shared on TV back in May, where police called for recruits with the line, "Anyone who wants to come and join us, please come and put an application in online" - which Lewis did two months later.
Lewis spoke with news.com.au about her long-term ambition to join the police force, adding that forensics was her ultimate goal.
"I believe with my life experience, I pick up on things maybe someone from a 'normal walk of life' might miss," she said.
However, Lewis has claimed her application was rejected due to her 'declared history' of being a sex worker.
Lewis said she had declared 100 percent of her income while working in the legal industry.
"I feel that with such an act of rejecting me for being honest about a legal job that has stigma - they will be encouraging future recruits to lie to get in."
Lewis is well-known by many Kiwis: she first made headlines after streaking at an All Blacks rugby game in 2006 and later selling the bikini she'd worn on Trade Me.
She also garnered national attention by becoming New Zealand's first topless newsreader.
In her application she declared two past offences: running onto the pitch during the All Blacks game and a common assault charge for pushing a man who knocked her teeth out in 2012.
However, in the recruitment booklet, it states that "simple offences" such as common assault are not reason for exclusion from the recruitment process if they occurred more than 10 years ago.
Lewis told news.com.au she then received a phone call from a police recruitment officer who said due to her "unique profession" as a sex worker, her application would be sent to the police integrity panel.
Lewis responded with a letter, stating she still worked in the sex industry "to live and survive" but she would quit if she joined the police.
The Northern Territory Police then wrote to Lewis, where they rejected her application and banned her from reapplying for the next five years.
"Police have no right to discriminate under moral principles," she said, adding: "We're law-abiding workers, just like any other employment."
She claimed her work experience would help her as an officer as she was accustomed to dealing with people from "all different walks of life".
Lewis has since reported the matter to the Northern Territory's Anti-Discrimination Commission and has now applied for a job with Victoria Police.
"Police need to be held accountable," she said.
The Northern Territory Police told news.com.au it will not provide any information regarding the recruitment process for Lewis.
However they said her complaint has been referred to the Anti-Discrimination Commission.
