26/6/2013
On Sunday 23rd June 2013 at approximately 3pm my
wife went to our local Woolworths shopping centre 100 metres from our
home. As she walked through the doors
past the checkouts with a trolley she locked eyes with Constable Thomas Hess
who was at a checkout with groceries being served. My wife immediately avoided eye contact and continued
to walk around the corner out of his sight.
She immediately rang me distressed and upset, I advised her at the time
just to calm down, ignore him and come straight home and have a cup of
tea. Whilst she was on the phone to me I
heard a male voice and my wife was distressed and yelling. My wife was yelling at Constable Thomas Hess as
he had approached her and stopped and said “Look Valda”. My wife never gave him a chance to say
anything further as she became upset and distressed and he ended up walking
away. The point is simple, Thomas Hess
had the opportunity after my wife walked away from him, to go out the door she
came in to avoid any confrontation, instead of doing this he decided to go the
way my wife went and on seeing her he chose to walk up to her and stop and
speak to her when he could have just taken a wide turn and just continued
walking out the main doors. We as a
family do not wish for Constable Thomas Hess to approach us or talk to us for
any reason what so ever. One would think
that a decent person would know that approaching the mother of a person you had
killed would cause distress and unnecessary confrontation. We would like Thomas Hess spoken to about
this matter as if it should happen again we will have no choice but to take a
restraining order out on him. If Thomas
Hess has anything to say to this family he can do so through his solicitor.
Sincerely
Stephen Protheroe
Yes one would think that a decent person would stay away. Even the 'Look, Valda', is confrontational. He has been exonerated. Ian Leavers has virtually got a minor rap over the knuckles. Life goes on for them. But your life will never be the same again. The way the incident has been handled has made it harder for you to accept and move on. Once the truth is concealed, lies told to justify actions, it is terribly hard to accept, regardless of the size of the incident.
ReplyDeleteWe read about Constable Arndt, who allegedly assaulted an elderly man in the mall 7 years ago. The elderly gentleman spent 5 years fighting to have the officer disciplined; to have the wrong done to him acknowledged. It was not until the elderly man won a private prosecution, that the CMC finally found Arndt had acted improperly and used excessive force, and only then did the CMC find a second officer should be disciplined. Ian Leavers declared they would appeal, which they unsuccessfully did. Arndt was fined a mere $1000-00, no discipline, no finding of misconduct and no conviction recorded. QPS decided Arndt needed only managerial guidance. Now 7 yrs later, we read Arndt was not disciplined by QPS for this allegedly cowardly act, but he is still, and once again appealing it. Despite the CCTV footage of 4 officers holding the 65year old man down and another kneeing him, despite the finding of the private prosecution, despite the CMC finally being embarrassed into finding that Arndt should be disciplined, despite the fact that the CMC have applied to QCAT for the decision to be reviewed, on the grounds that Arndt 'should have been disciplined' Arndt is now 7 years later, still trying to stop the CMC trying to have him disciplined? It beggars belief; who has got all this money to appeal? Commissioner Stewart declared that he would not allow this type of behaviour to go on. Nothing has changed! For this despicable act Arndt is not sorry, has not learnt, is I imagine still putting this elderly man through hell, reliving this night. Compare this to the 6 trumped up misconducts found by an untruthful internal investigation, as pay back to remove an operational officer. No benefit of the doubt, no innocent until proven guilty, no chance to tell it the way it happened. Guilty, and transferred immediately.
Dishonesty within the law enforces is hard to take, I know. If the AG and LNP government does not act, I believe we will follow other states with an enquiry into the QPS.
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ReplyDeletethomas hess