Sydney court told of ‘grenade’

Press, 30 July 1985, Page 10

Sydney court told of ‘grenade’

NZPA-AAP Sydney A Swedish man threatened the police by saying he would detonate a hand grenade unless they helped him return to his native country, Sydney’s Newtown Court was told yesterday morning. The police alleged that 80-Goran Magnusson, aged 29, told officers at Petersham police station he would detonate a hand granade if they did not help him get back to Sweden. The prosecutor, Senior Constable Jeffrey Ault, told the Court Magnusson walked into Petersham police station, in inner-west-ern Sydney, just after midnight on Sunday. A later search of his bag showed Magnusson did not have a grenade but did have three kitchen knives. Senior Constable Ault also alleged Magnusson tied up a sergeant and a probationary constable with a telephone cord he had ripped from the wall of the station. Two hours later he threatened Probationary Constable Treseder with a kitchen knife, forced him into a police car, and told him to drive to the airport. However, the car’s path was blocked by other police vehicles. Just after 5.30 a.m. (local time) the police negotiators had talked Magnusson into surrendering. The police also alleged Magnusson was an illegal immigrant who had entered Australia in 1983 on a visitor’s visa. The magistrate remanded Magnusson in custody to appear again in Newtown Court on Thursday. Magnusson has been charged with two counts of using a weapon to resist arrest, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of indictable assault and one count of malicious damage to a telephone.