Final charge against Tom Starling dismissed

[dubby]

It's a shame that these thugs tarnish the name of the police as there are plenty more good people in the force than these crooks. Hope justice is served.

Yep, there are many professional and quality police. These guys, are not them

[greeneyed]

Two police officers charged over pub brawl involving NRL star Tom Starling



Two serving police officers have been charged following an investigation into an incident involving NRL star Tom Starling. The Canberra Raiders hooker and his brothers Jackson, 27, and Josh, 22, were attending a friend’s 21st birthday party at the Shady Palms hotel at Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast on December 5, 2020, when a fight broke out. An investigation by the Professional Standards Command has led to two police officers being charged over the incident.

Read more: https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/two-p ... 6c59e02374

[Hong Kong Raider]

I hope they are brought to justice including a review of their jobs - shocking alleged conduct and abuse of power

[BadnMean]

Why is there never a single one of these good cops in any of these cases ever calls shennanigans? Not one involved in the incident, or at the arrest later, or charging, or collating evidence for trial or during a review process etc

Funny how there's never one of these good cops about. Since there' so many of them. You'd think somewhere along the line they'd pop up.

[Botman]

I don't doubt there are good cops who get into the job for the right reasons and conduct themselves accordingly.
I'm not sure the force is made up with as many of them as we assume.

From my experience and what ive seen, there is A LOT of them that are just thugs and bullies with a badge, which sucks for those who are good community minded officers

[dubby]

Why is there never a single one of these good cops in any of these cases ever calls shennanigans? Not one involved in the incident, or at the arrest later, or charging, or collating evidence for trial or during a review process etc

Funny how there's never one of these good cops about. Since there' so many of them. You'd think somewhere along the line they'd pop up.

The amount of jobs police respond to every day is massive. The scope of the jobs and the danger involved is even greater.

This is one example of poor police behaviour out of thousands of daily incidents.

You negate your own point.

We don't see the good policing stories because only the bad policing (which is the minority) gains public attention, as it should.

[greeneyed]

Police officers charged with assaulting Canberra Raiders star Tom Starling

Canberra Raiders star Tom Starling says he's continuing his fight against the NSW Police for the people who don't "have a voice".

"It's a pretty full-on video and obviously anyone with two eyes can see the police were definitely in the wrong there," he said. "It's been shown in court it was more of a street brawl and police not acting in their line of duty.

Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/ ... /?cs=14239

AUDIO: Tom Starling speaks: https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full- ... bashing-of

Cops charged over bar brawl with now-cleared Raiders star Tom Starling: https://canberradaily.com.au/officers-c ... -starling/

[BadnMean]

Why is there never a single one of these good cops in any of these cases ever calls shennanigans? Not one involved in the incident, or at the arrest later, or charging, or collating evidence for trial or during a review process etc

Funny how there's never one of these good cops about. Since there' so many of them. You'd think somewhere along the line they'd pop up.

The amount of jobs police respond to every day is massive. The scope of the jobs and the danger involved is even greater.

This is one example of poor police behaviour out of thousands of daily incidents.

You negate your own point.

We don't see the good policing stories because only the bad policing (which is the minority) gains public attention, as it should.

You don't actually address my point either. Nice set of facts and blended side issues though. It's not "one example"- it's one example from a state which pays out millions in poor examples. There are half a dozen cops involved just at the street level in all these raiders incidents. Not a single one treads the right path, every single one abrogates their ethical and legal duty. Every. Single. One. As I said, that number also multiplies the further down the chain you go.

It's "one example" which was colluded with a dozen officers at least throughout the chain. And then a DPP who is clearly in on the game. Just push on and prosecute and bully the public into backing down [even if it's SO BAD it not only exonerates the defendant but prosecutes the officers]... that points to a systemic issue. Not a few bad eggs. Bad eggs act in quiet shadows. These guys were blatant and perjured and twisted the course of justice. Same as the Scott ones.. same as even the Jack ones... systemic. Yet they assumed it would all go in their favour as usual. It's systemic.

If it wasn't, we'd see the more serious charges of affray etc now applied to the NSW police as well. They tried it on for Starling until the mountain of evidence showed otherwise. Why did they get kid gloves and not the heavy charges. IIRC Tom Starling and his brothers did not have the NSW police held bound and beating on them... wasn't it the other way? Why the lesser charge for the off duty (eg citizen at the time) coppers?

(and spare me the "oh but defendant not perfect"- that's a sideshow of this discussion)

Thing is- when they misbehave there is always several others covering their ****. I find that hard to countenance.

I have friends in the police. Detectives, uniform. I have never quite reconciled all these facts. They must turn a blind eye because at a certain point "we" -the public- don't matter.

[Botman]

Look i just did a very simple google, just to get some sort of figure and i got this

NSW Police fork out $33m for police misconduct claims in 2020-21: https://obriensolicitors.com.au/nsw-pol ... s-2020-21/

33m paid out in misconduct claims in 2020-21... 33 million... another article in 2000 claimed 100m of claims paid out in the 4 years prior... it's not as small a minority as you think.

[Lui_Bon]

When I was young I just assumed that it was true that "all coppers are illegitimate". Then I got older and became a property owner and had kids and met people on both a social and professional basis who happened to work in various police forces. I was happy to be "protected". Now I am quite old and sadly I am finding myself forced to revert to the position I held when I was 17.

Basically I don't think many of them are very smart. The ones that are are either giving up crime investigation for administrative promotion, or get dragged down into the morass of mediocrity through collective resentment and tall poppy-lopping.

[Riaan]

Look i just did a very simple google, just to get some sort of figure and i got this

NSW Police fork out $33m for police misconduct claims in 2020-21: https://obriensolicitors.com.au/nsw-pol ... s-2020-21/

33m paid out in misconduct claims in 2020-21... 33 million... another article in 2000 claimed 100m of claims paid out in the 4 years prior... it's not as small a minority as you think.

On a 4.8 billion dollar police budget, 33 million is actually peanuts. You’re talking less than 1%.

[Finchy]

I’d like to see a breakdown of how many incidents the police respond to in a year (I’m guessing it would be in the millions?), yet there’s only 300 odd civil claims resulting from these police interactions, averaging around 80k payouts on average.

Granted there’s probably a bunch of incidents where people should file a civil claim but don’t, but I reckon that the vast majority of cops are doing the right thing (or handling jobs to a competent enough level) that only 300 odd police interactions out of millions result in them getting sued every year.

Obviously getting sued at all isn’t good, but it’s a difficult job. Firies are putting out fires and helping at car crashes. Cops are dealing with drunk, angry, drugged up, crazy people and crims on a daily basis. It’s no real surprise that dealing with that level of person every day affects their behaviour and sometimes results in things going wrong or too heavy handed.

Like with many things in life, it’s easy to be an armchair expert. I think actually doing the job would be eye opening for most forum experts.

[gerg]

Hard to defend 300 a year? And 33 million (Riaan) of taxpayer funds I'm sure could be better spent in other areas of the Force instead of on Payouts.

I agree with BnM and Cat. It's strange these cases get so far - clogging up the legal systems, costing millions and the additional stress involved.

One look at that Starling footage and surely the police / DPP have the **** brains and integrity to immediately drop the charges? Instead they push through with it. Like BnM it's interesting to ponder 'why'. Complete incompetence at all levels, systemic issues, or is this perhaps a way for the DPP to properly expose this behaviour within the Police Force because they feel their Internal Affairs isn't doing their job?

Maybe a combination of factors but again how can you watch footage of Tom Starling (which was subsequently publicly released) being restrained by officers, and repeatedly punched to the face and press charges against him?

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

[BadnMean]

I’d like to see a breakdown of how many incidents the police respond to in a year (I’m guessing it would be in the millions?), yet there’s only 300 odd civil claims resulting from these police interactions, averaging around 80k payouts on average.

Granted there’s probably a bunch of incidents where people should file a civil claim but don’t, but I reckon that the vast majority of cops are doing the right thing (or handling jobs to a competent enough level) that only 300 odd police interactions out of millions result in them getting sued every year.

Obviously getting sued at all isn’t good, but it’s a difficult job. Firies are putting out fires and helping at car crashes. Cops are dealing with drunk, angry, drugged up, crazy people and crims on a daily basis. It’s no real surprise that dealing with that level of person every day affects their behaviour and sometimes results in things going wrong or too heavy handed.

Like with many things in life, it’s easy to be an armchair expert. I think actually doing the job would be eye opening for most forum experts.

Well said. And you'd reckon some other nice, sane well meaning copper might step in and stop some of the rubbish we see. Or maybe realise it was rubbish and not try to spend 3 years trying to financially ruin a person with the powers of the state before admitting they were just a bit wrong and all heated up about the drunk, angry, drugged up, crazy people and crims on a daily basis and gosh, we really shouldn't have pursued these EDIT charges, had them signed off at every level over the course of years and just put our hand up and said- no sorry, bad day.

Gee that didn't happen. I guess the ONLY course open to these police and all the others in NSW over the course of the YEARS they spend pursuing these BS cases and getting sued for them was to just carry on trying to cause harm ala the Scott and Starling and Wighton cases. Cry me a river NSW police. It's not a hard day at the office it's vindictive ego policing where they think THEY punish, not the courts.

[Lui_Bon]

Iit’s a difficult job. Firies are putting out fires and helping at car crashes. Cops are dealing with drunk, angry, drugged up, crazy people and crims on a daily basis

While I absolutely stand by what I said, this is true too. Seeing what was once people who are now smears across the road would effect anyone. I have no solution, other than to eliminate crime or at least stop ****heads from being allowed to drive.

[Old School Green]

Crazy that Raiders players are now 3 from 3.
Scott; Starling and Wighton. All incidents where Police were found to be in the wrong in their actions.

Makes me wonder whether Papa actually yeeted the Nivea or whether there was a guy with exceptionally supple skin in AFP kit on a grassy knoll hmmm

[yurithe1]

The cops actually formed a strike force to investigate this and it still took about three years to come up with this result.

[Finchy]

I was referring to policing in general and the total payouts compared with the total number of incidents they attend. I’m not defending the Starling case specifically. Clearly there were huge issues and it never should have gone as far as it did. A poor look on everyone involved in trying to foolishly prosecute that case

[Billy Walker]

I’d like to see a breakdown of how many incidents the police respond to in a year (I’m guessing it would be in the millions?), yet there’s only 300 odd civil claims resulting from these police interactions, averaging around 80k payouts on average.

Granted there’s probably a bunch of incidents where people should file a civil claim but don’t, but I reckon that the vast majority of cops are doing the right thing (or handling jobs to a competent enough level) that only 300 odd police interactions out of millions result in them getting sued every year.

Obviously getting sued at all isn’t good, but it’s a difficult job. Firies are putting out fires and helping at car crashes. Cops are dealing with drunk, angry, drugged up, crazy people and crims on a daily basis. It’s no real surprise that dealing with that level of person every day affects their behaviour and sometimes results in things going wrong or too heavy handed.

Like with many things in life, it’s easy to be an armchair expert. I think actually doing the job would be eye opening for most forum experts.

You got one right Finchy - well done. And well said.

[Botman]

Look i just did a very simple google, just to get some sort of figure and i got this

NSW Police fork out $33m for police misconduct claims in 2020-21: https://obriensolicitors.com.au/nsw-pol ... s-2020-21/

33m paid out in misconduct claims in 2020-21... 33 million... another article in 2000 claimed 100m of claims paid out in the 4 years prior... it's not as small a minority as you think.

On a 4.8 billion dollar police budget, 33 million is actually peanuts. You’re talking less than 1%.

For me, this is not an area in which we can hand wave on the basis of % of budget.

And i don't disagree with the idea that most cops are doing the right thing, and I certainly agree it's a very difficult job and the sort of people and the type of jobs they're dealing with day in and day out is nothing to be sneezed at. But i think it's fair to say the police forces across the country have some issues within it's rank and file that it needs to address. And prosecuting officers that break the law as they are doing in this case, is IMO, a really good message to send to officers - Police are employed to enforce the law and serve the community, they're not above the law.

[Off]

Crazy that Raiders players are now 3 from 3.
Scott; Starling and Wighton. All incidents where Police were found to be in the wrong in their actions.

Makes me wonder whether Papa actually yeeted the Nivea or whether there was a guy with exceptionally supple skin in AFP kit on a grassy knoll hmmm

Sent from my SM-A536E using Tapatalk

[greeneyed]

‘Financially devastating’: NRL star opens up on ‘horrific’ torment as $1m damages bid revealed

Raiders dummy-half Tom Starling has spoken out after two police officers were charged with assaulting the NRL star and his two brothers in a Central Coast pub three years ago. In a column Starling penned for the SMH, the 25-year-old detailed the “physical, financial and emotional burden” he and his family were placed under because of the false chargers. He also believes that if it wasn’t for the CCTV footage, he “would be behind bars right now”.

Read more: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-pr ... cf0243b1eb

[greeneyed]

Police officers accused of assaulting NRL star Tom Starling plead not guilty

Two serving New South Wales police officers have pleaded not guilty to common assault after a brawl with NRL star Tom Starling at a Central Coast venue more than three years ago.

Starling, who received facial injuries at the time, was initially charged with seven offences, including attempting to take a police officer's gun. He was cleared of any wrongdoing last year.

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-07/ ... /103552622

[Billy Walker]

Wonder if Tom is heading out to celebrate that win?

[BJ]

Wonder if Tom is heading out to celebrate that win?

I saw Starling out celebrating until the 6 members of the Village People showed up.

Interestingly all the Village People were dressed up as the Policeman instead of the 5 other outfits.