A Dutch woman who had to inspect her own excrement after suspicions she was carrying drugs has taken the matter to court claiming she was subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment.

The story about the humiliation felt by 36-year old Jennifer Koster, a Dutch woman born in the Dominican Republic, was reported in Times of Malta on Wednesday.

The newspaper revealed how Ms Koster, who is a regular visitor to Malta to meet her local partner, was “treated like a dog” when the police arrested her soon after she landed in Malta from Germany last November and took her to hospital to be internally searched for drugs.

Ms Koster said she was used to her luggage being searched for drugs whenever she came to Malta to visit her Maltese partner. But this time police crossed the line – she had to endure a vaginal examination and was given a laxative and asked to search her own excrement.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Angie Muscat filed an application in the First Hall of the Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction claiming their client was subjected to degrading and inhuman treatment.

They are claiming that her arrest was not justified with a reasonable suspicion that she had committed a crime. Moreover, at no point was she formally informed that she was under arrest and neither was she given the rights usually given to arrested people, including the right of access to a lawyer prior to her interrogation.

They are calling on the court to decree that their client was subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment when she was forced to inspect her own excrement.

In comments to Times of Malta following the publication of the story, Police Commissioner Michael Cassar defended police action in the case of the Dutch woman.

He stressed the police did not act in an abusive manner. “I assure you that nothing, absolutely nothing, was done beyond what is permitted by law. If anyone stresses the need for that, it’s me,” Mr Cassar said, adding that the police had a warrant.