CONSTABLE’S CONDUCT

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 August 1929, Page 7

CONSTABLE’S CONDUCT

ARRESTED MAN’S CHARGES.' Extraordinary evidence concerning the conduct of a constable, who was alleged to have been under the influence of liquor and to have assaulted and arrested an inoffensive man without reason, was given in the City Court at Melbourne. x A New Zealand visitor named Whelan was brought before the Court on a charge of behaving in an offensive manner in Flinders Street. After hearing evidence the magistrate dismissed the charge and allowed costs against the Police Department.

The matter was afterwards raised in the State Legislative Assembly, and the Premier promised that requests for a public inquiry would be considered. It was stated that a departmental inquiry into the constable’s conduct .would be held.

In the Court proceedings Constable B. T. C. Long said that at 7.30 p.m. he was in Flinders Street, near Swanston Street, when accused bumped into him. Witness then watched accused, and saw him go toward a number of women and look into their faces. Witness asked accused why he was behaving in such a manner, and accused said, “What has that to do with you?” Witness said, “I am a constable/’ and accused started to walk away, saying, “I don’t care if you are.” Witness then put accused in a taxi-cab and took him to the police station. The witness admitted that he had had a few drinks about 6 o’clock.

Giving evidence, Whelan said he was waiting for a friend on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets. He was just turning east into Flinders Street when someone coming from the opposite direction from Flinders Street collided violently with him, and caught hold of him, putting both arms round him. He told the man he ought to be careful, and the man, who appeared to him to be a civilan, assumed a threatening attitude’. Witness noticed the man’s hand was bleeding, and that he appeared to have been drinking. Blew in His Ear.

Just then a lady for ho had been waiting came along, and he was about to cross the street with her when the man who had been annoying him came behind him and blew in his car, at the same time making an oftensive noise. The wan. tlien struck him. Witness excused himself to his friend and stepped over to the traffic constable. The man then followed witnes and tried to close with him. He assumed a. fighting attitude and grappled with witness. A taxi had pulled up near them, and the man told witness to get into it. A uniformed constable asked him if any assistance was needed, and the man said, “Yes, constable, I want some help.” It was then that witness was struck by the thought that the man who had been pestering him was a. plain-clothes policeman. Witness stepped into the taxi, and asked the uniformed constable to accompany him, but he would not do so. During the journey to Russell Street the man struck witness several times. Witness defended himself as far as was possible. Demand For a Doctor. When they arrived at the police station the man at the counter asked witness for his name and address, and also asked the other man what the charge was - . The man said, “Offensive behaviour.” After giving his name and address, witness told tho officer at the police station that he wanted to see the senior officer in charge. The officer asked him why he wanted to do that, and witness said, “I want this man examined by a doctor to establish his condition of intoxication,” but the request was, in effect, refused. Witness then learnt that the man who had assaulted him was a constable named Long. After considerable delay witness saw an inspector, who after a time asked witness to go to his office, where he saw Long, who was now in uniform.

Mr. Adam (for Whelan): What time was that? Witness:* About 10 p.m.

Continuing, witness said the inspector asked him if he thought Long was drunk, and witness said, “I wish he had been as sober when he first met me as he is now.” The inspector remarked that ho did not consider that Long was intoxicated. Witness asked the inspector to smell Long’s breath, and the inspector replied that that would be a dastardly thing to do. Witness replied that he would not press the matter. Later the inspector stood a few yards away from Long and allowed Long to breathe towards him. (Laughter.) Whelan’s evidence was corroborated by his lady friend and the driver of the taxi. Both said Long was in plain clothes and was under the influence of liquor. The taxi-driver testified to events in the police station. The magistrate dismissed the charge without comment and awarded £3 10s costs against the Police Department.