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Allegations
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The Counties Manukau
cop at the centre of an investigation into police misconduct was disciplined
four years ago for unlawfully arresting a Manurewa man.
A date will be set this
week for Mr Solomona's sentencing in the Manukau District Court, where he is
expected to apply for a discharge without conviction. He also faces a police
tribunal once the court case is over. In 2001, Mr Solomona
was disciplined by his bosses after a Police Complaints Authority
investigation ruled he had unlawfully arrested Manurewa resident John
Williams, 39, for trespass following a minor incident on a train in October
2000. In January 2001, the
Counties Manukau district commander at the time, Ted Cox, apologised to Mr
Williams for the arrest and police paid him $1000 compensation. Mr Williams told the
Manukau Courier he is breaking a confidentiality agreement by going to the
media. "It's in the
public's interest that they know about it, particularly now that the officer
involved is facing dismissal from the police and has been found guilty of
assault," Mr Williams says. "I was very
disappointed that the disciplinary process had not worked and disappointed to
hear he had been suspended on full pay since April 2004 at our cost." Mr Williams was
travelling home to Weymouth on a Tranz Rail train at the time of the 2000
incident when he got involved in a ticket dispute with a conductor at the Wiri
station. Police were called and
Mr Solomona arrived with two constables. The train was held up for 30 minutes
before Mr Williams was arrested for trespass. Mr Williams was taken
to the Wiri police station, where he was charged, photographed and fingerprinted
before being released to appear in court at a later date. But when Mr Williams
went to court, he was told he wasn't being prosecuted. Mr Williams, a night
shift supervisor, admits he is "no angel" and has had numerous
dealings with police. He was first arrested
as a 17-year-old and has convictions for fraud, assault, possession of an
offensive weapon, resisting police and obstruction. Mr Williams has made 11
complaints against police in the past five years. Four have been upheld and police
agreed with another three, although no disciplinary action was taken. The Police Complaints
Authority will investigate allegations of misconduct by Counties Manukau police
officers in addition to an internal police investigation. Photographs of police and
members of the public in various poses were revealed during Mr Solomona's
trial. One photo shows a
uniformed officer wearing a balaclava while posing with a machete and axe.
Behind him is a sign saying: "RIP to Section IV", a response group
once headed by Mr Solomona in Wiri, and which disbanded last year. District commander
Superintendent Steve Shortland says inquiries so far indicate the practice
was confined to a small group of officers based at Wiri before March 2004. "The purpose of
the investigation will be to ensure that this is not common practice in the
south Auckland police," he says. |
