Officers cleared of deadly crash-tackle

Mrs Boyd...In a way I knew it would be hard to get a conviction. (Debbie Boyd with her daughter, Rebecca.)

Paul Boyd, 21, had been walking with a group across a car park in Narromine, near Dubbo in the state's west, when two men, Sean Britton, 34, and Eric Coote, 38, [allegedly?] crash-tackled him to the ground.

Mr Boyd did not regain consciousness and died before the ambulance arrived.

Britton, an off-duty police officer at the time, and his friend Eric Coote, a Corrective Services officer, were tried for manslaughter in the District Court this month.

But a judge yesterday acquitted them of killing Mr Boyd and of an alternative charge of assault, as there was not enough evidence to prove how Mr Boyd had died or that the men had tackled him.

"On the evidence presented in this court I could not be satisfied [of] what actually happened … that is why the accused must be acquitted of these charges," Judge Anthony Blackmore told the court.

The decision will be cold comfort for two of Mrs Boyd's other sons, Mark Ernest Boyd and John Gregory Boyd, who are in jail awaiting trial for allegedly stabbing Britton in an attack in November last year, near the anniversary of their brother's death.

Paul Boyd and his friend Graham Jones had been drinking heavily earlier on the night he died. As they walked through a car park nearby, two men got out of a car and started running at Mr Boyd before allegedly tackling him from behind.

Justice Blackmore said he had found several witnesses who claimed to have seen the crash tackle to be unreliable and that they had given evidence believing it must have happened because someone of Mr Boyd's age "does not simply fall on the ground and remain there".

But Justice Blackmore said there was evidence to suggest Mr Boyd's death may not have been the result of a crash-tackle.

[But if someone crash-tackled his relative and they died how would he have judged that?]

Weeks before his death, Mr Boyd had been diagnosed with epilepsy and had been warned by doctors to drink less and make other lifestyle changes.

However, a blood alcohol level upon his death of 0.188 he had not heeded those warnings.

Several witnesses also described Mr Boyd being dropped on his head from a height of 80 centimetres after Mr Jones tried to pick him up as he lay unconscious on the ground.

Justice Blackmore said there had been no physical signs on the clothing of Britton or Coote, such as scuff marks or holes, to suggest that they had performed a tackle.

Outside court, Mrs Boyd said she was "crushed" by the result. "In a way I knew it would be hard to get a conviction."

Quote: This case is a disgrace. Why is there a special disparity of the law for officers when they kill in Australia? No need to wonder why Mrs Boyd was crushed. The protection of those who have served the government is clear. People ought not have any confidence in this judgement or Justice Blackmore's take on the law.

Terror raid 'message'

COUNTER-TERRORISM police yesterday raided the homes of two Sydney men with allegedly extremist Islamic views to "send a message" they were being closely watched and dissuade them from any plans to engage in a terrorist act.

Documents and computers were seized from the homes in Glebe and Riverwood in the pre-dawn raids by NSW and federal police, part of a joint operation targeting two men who have been monitored by authorities for several years.

"These are a couple of blokes who may have been thinking about doing something," one source said. "We wanted to satisfy ourselves that nothing is going to happen. We also wanted to send a bit of a message to them."

After media outlets found out about the raids, NSW police confirmed that search warrants had been executed and that the investigation was continuing.

Police said there was no link to any security measures being taken before World Youth Day.

Related:

Palestinian exhibition axed after police visit
A police spokesman said the officers were from the operations' community contact unit and had come only to "say hi" to Friends of Hebron members. "They went to introduce themselves just to let them know who they are and what they are about. [Speaking with community groups] is part of their charter," he said. "When they got there the librarian was the only one there … they just had a quick chat to the librarian."

AFP colluded with Andrews: Haneef lawyer
Lawyers representing former [scapegoat] terror suspect Dr Mohamed Haneef have accused federal police of attempting to re-write history following claims investigating officers were caught unaware by a decision to cancel his work visa.


ASIO, police don't trust each other, report finds
A LACK of trust between the Australian Federal Police and ASIO has hindered co-operation between the anti-terrorism agencies, a report commissioned after the collapsed prosecution of the Sydney doctor Izhar ul-Haque has found.

Secret policemen's bill: $7.5m
Mr McClelland separately ruled out compensating or apologising to the Sydney medical student Izhar Ul-Haque, who a Supreme Court judge said had been kidnapped by ASIO officers. The conduct of ASIO in the case of Mr ul-Haque, who was cleared of terrorism charges, is being reviewed by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Ian Carnell.

Tough police powers outlive APEC
CONTROVERSIAL powers granted to NSW police during last year's APEC summit are likely to be made permanent - or at least available to police for any special event - under a proposal to be taken to state cabinet.

Push for overhaul of laws on terrorism
Anti-terrorism laws are just 'state sanctioned terrorism' aimed at 'innocent people' and using them as 'scapegoats' for Australia's 'alleged war on terror'. These laws were meant to project 'fear' in the community that we somehow need to be protected so that the government can wage war on innocent people for resources around the world unchallenged.

Smacking children 'allowable': minister

NSW Community Services Minister Kevin Greene has defended himself against accusations of hypocrisy for smacking his children and then supporting his department taking a six-year-old boy away from a grandmother who smacked the child.

He had smacked his children in the past, he said today, but did not think it had done them any harm.

"My children, I'd like to think, are all pretty average normal children," he told Fairfax radio Network.

Asked about the department's policy on reports of smacking, Mr Greene said: "We have a law in NSW that basically says that children can be smacked but they can't be abused.

"You cannot literally clip a child across the ear," he said. "You can smack a child but you can't cause them physical harm that's going to last a long time.

"I mean, a smack is allowable. It's not encouraged but it is allowable. It's up to individual parents to make the decision. We certainly do not allow physical abuse of children."

He said the report in a News Ltd paper today accusing him of hypocrisy was "disappointing".

Frontline caseworkers who made decisions about taking children away from abusive situations were "doing a difficult job in extremely difficult circumstances", he said.

"They have to make the real judgment decisions. They're the ones who are dealing with really vulnerable children."

Related:

NZ passes anti-smacking law

New Zealand's anti-smacking Bill will become law within weeks after winning overwhelming support in Parliament.

The country joins only a handful of European nations to legislate against the use of unreasonable force in disciplining children.

The parliamentary vote is the culmination of a two-year campaign by Greens Party MP Sue Bradford, who argued New Zealand's appalling record of violence towards children demanded drastic action.

"Every day, there are dreadful injuries inflicted on children," she said.

"People need to realise this is what happens in the name of child discipline."

Members of Parliament were free to vote on the issue according to their conscience but there was near unanimous support for the change, which passed 113 to 7 in the 121-seat Parliament.

Loud applause broke out from the public galleries after the vote.

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Spare the Rod?

We all know the phrase from the Bible that says spare the rod and spoil the child. Does this mean hitting them? Is there another meaning that is possible here? An advisor of mine whilst I was Children’s Commissioner in Tasmania, who was preparing for church ministry, said that her interpretation of the Bible allows us to consider these statements from a non violent perspective. She said that the rod in the Bible referred to the shepherd’s rod. This shepherd’s rod had a crook in it which was used to hook onto the sheep to prevent them from straying, to contain them. I then realized for myself, that the rod was not the staff that the shepherd also had, that I believe was used to beat off wolves and other predators. My own reflections also lead me to this conclusion, as my favourite Psalm, Psalm 23 states that the Lord is my shepherd and that His rod and staff will always guide me and be my comfort.

The rod is to steer me to paths of righteousness with the rod to protect me from harm. Neither of these were there to harm me, and this concept of a benign and loving God, who like a good shepherd was devoted and faithful in looking after his flock is commonplace in the Bible. I humbly and respectfully offer you this alternative way of viewing some Biblical statements as matters for your consideration, to show how it is possible to parent without any violence, but with guidance, care and love.

Patmalar Ambikapathy

End Physical Punishment of Children