Police story preferred

Press, 23 February 1977, Page 6

Police story preferred

Allegations of brutality l: made against two Christ-:: church police officers in the course of investigating a sus-, pected burglary have been: rejected by Mr W. F. Brown. 'S.M.. in the Magistrate’s: ! Court. In a reserved decision on! Monday. Mr Brown convicted) two former policemen — Paul Dexter Anderson, a fun-, eral director, and Alan Brucej Dodgson, a manager, both] aged 23 and represented by' Mr P. M. James. He fined: them $5O each on charges of I assaulting a police officer in j the execution of his duty. Mr Brown said he preferred the evidence of the, two police officers to that ol; the defendants and said he , was satisfied (hat the con- ' stables were carrying out: their duties on the night in j, question. The incident occurred , when the policemen and a ; security officer went to the I; Stewart Dawson building in ] High Street when the burg- : lar alatm sounded about j 10.35 p.m. on December 9. 1 , The defendant said in evi-j, dence that the alarm was', , triggered accidentally. i The Magistrate said hejj : completely rejected the allegation that one of the con- 1 stables had struck a defend- f ant while he was handcuffed, i I He said he found the defend- 1

ants’ evidence “unimpressive, and not completely truthful.” The defendants had pleaded not guilty at the hearing, which was in two sessions, the second last week.