Perth Men Left Court Uncharged for Violence After Jury Made Not Guilty Verdict
Friday March 13, 2009
Three men in Perth were let off the hook in their alleged involvement in a pub brawl after jury's verdict, shocking Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Policeman Matthew Butcher was paralysed, brain damaged and became sight impaired after he was headbutted unconscious outside Joondalup Old Baily Tavern in February last year.
Mr Rudd said he was shocked by the jury's decision to let the three men, Robert McLeod, 56 and two sons Barry McLeod, 29 and Scott McLeod, 35, responsible leave uncharged.
The jury found the three men not guilty on all counts of assaulting Constable Butcher. The only verdict against the men reported that Scott McLeod threatened to kill a civilian who recorded the event on his mobile phone.
"I had to read it twice," he told Fairfax Radio Network about the front page report of the West Australian newspaper.
He said while he was unfamiliar with details of the event, it was "a wake-up call" for communities to support their police force.
"Every police commissioner I've spoken to in the eastern states has told me how hard things are getting, and in the central business districts in particular," he said.
"What we have here is a wake-up call for people to rally behind police.
"They are doing a first-class job in the community and I think it's absolutely important we use this event as a focal point to rally behind our police."
He said police put themselves "in the front line every day, in very dangerous and difficult circumstances".
"Most (of these incidents) are never reported," Mr Rudd told Perth Now.
"I think it's high time the community just got behind the police in absolutely everything they do.
"It's time we had a new attitude of respect for the police because they are dealing with the problems of violence, domestic violence and alcohol-induced violence of binge drinking."
