Policeman convicted of slashing tyres

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 12

Policeman convicted of slashing tyres

PA Dunedin A policeman has been convicted of slashing the tyres of' parked cars outside a Dunedin hotel while off-duty, after being abused by another drinker. The Magistrates’ Court at Dunedin was told that Ronald Maxwell Wilson, aged 28, would lose his job as a result of his convictions. Mr J. D. Murray S.M., ordered Wilson to pay compensation totalling $483. witnesses’ expenses of $65 and $7O court costs, and said this would constitute sufficient penalty. He convicted Wilson on seven charges of wilfully damaging tyres valued at $483, but cleared him of a further charge of assault. Wilson had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Magistrate said the charges arose from an incident which began at the Mornington Tavern on January 26. Wilson,, who was off duty, was abused by a young man, and the “particularly obnoxious” remarks continued throughout the evening. Wilson followed the complainant outside at closing time, apparently grabbed him by the throat

and invited him round the back of the hotel for a “hiding.” Later, when the complainant and his friends were leaving a party, they discovered that the tyres of a number of parked cars had been slashed. One youth said he saw a person whom he thought was Wilson crouching near the front tyre of one car. He gave chase but lost the man. Dismissing the assault charge, the Magistrate said that on the evidence there may well have been some pushing or grabbing of the complainant, but such force was so trifling that no conviction was warranted. On the wilful damage charges, he said there was no doubt that ■ the tyres had been cut. There was direct conflict between the evidence of. the witness who said he had seen a person crouching by the car and then rupning away, and that of the defendant who claimed he was not involved in any way. The Magistrate said he had no doubt that the evidence of the prosecution witness was truthful, but he said he was not im-

pressed with that of the defendant. He referred to comments made by Wilson to a fellow constable the day after the incident. While they were talking about the tyres, Wilson had said “do not Worry, I have got that covered," and later said “they cannot prove it.”

“I can readily understand that the defendant was irritated at the comments made about him. The complainant was rather obnoxious in the witness box, and I imagine that after a night’s drinking in a hotel he would be even more so,” the Magistrate said. It seemed that the insulting comments may have goaded the defendant to the stage where he took retaliatory action against the tyres.