Allegations against policeman withdrawn

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 1

Allegations against policeman withdrawn

Allegations against Sergeant Brendan Thompson of the Christchurch police were made in an article published on this page on Thursday, July 7, 1977. The article, which dealt with some aspects of recent criticism of the police, referred to a court case heard in 1973 in which Sergeant Thompson, then a constable, had given evidence. A photograph was published which, it was claimed, showed that Sergeant Thompson was not where he later told the Court he was at the time. Mr R. J. Murfitt, a Christchurch solicitor, in the same article, also made allegations against Sergeant Thompson. Both Mr Murfitt and "The

servedly that Sergeant Thompson did not give false evidence in the case mentioned.

They accept that the photograph, which was published, was taken by a photographer of “The Press” before the incident occurred which was the subject of the police charge. Both Mr Murfitt and “The Press” state that if any inference can be drawn from the article published that Sergeant Thompson had given evidence which he knew to be false, then they unreservedly say that no such inference was intended and that Sergeant Thompson’s part in the case mentioned could not be the subject of anv criticism and they accept that he did not behave improperly in any