Qld. cop misuses charity credit card:  Gets off free

QUEENSLAND'S criminal watchdog has lost its bid for a review of the suspended demotion of a police sergeant for misusing a citizens youth club corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, in just published four-page decision, said Sergeant Gilbert Napper pleaded guilty to a charge of official misconduct for inappropriately using a Queensland Police Citizens Youth Welfare Association's corporate credit car.

QCAT senior member Richard Oliver said QPS Assistant Commissioner Clem O'Regan on March 16 imposed a "sanction" demoting Sergeant Napper to the rank of senior constable.

However, the sanction was suspended subject to Sergeant Napper completing certain training courses.

"Sergeant Napper was charged with official misconduct because he inappropriately used ... (the) Association Corporate credit card," he said.

"The expenses charged to the card where repaid by (Sergeant Napper) but, as he knew or ought to have known at the time, this conduct was not permitted."

Mr Oliver said the Crime and Misconduct Commission lodged an application for a review of Assistant Commissioner O'Regan's decision on April 2 - more than two weeks after the commissioner published his decision.

"The application to review is out of time as it was not made with 14 days of the decision being given," he said.

"As a consequence of being out of time the (CMC) has applied to the Tribunal for time to be extended ... (but that) is opposed by Mr Napper."

Mr Oliver said it appeared the CMC, from the material it had filed, was "simply asking the Tribunal to revisit afresh" matters already placed before Assistant Commissioner O'Regan and "without any real attempt to show that a different outcome is likely."

"The result is that the (CMC's) application for an extension of time is dismissed."

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I am DEEPLY suspicious of this prosecution

If you are unlucky enough  to be in the vicinity when a murder is committed,  the Qld. cops are likely to say you did it.  The thoroughly reprehensible prosecutions  of the unfortunate Barry Mannix and Graham Stafford  are evidence enough of that.  And the crooked cops who fitted up both men have never been punished

And it's sheer laziness behind such practices.  I have twice supplied police with precise ID for people who have committed offences against me but no discernible action was taken in either case.  In one case the ID was simply thrown into the bin on the apparent grounds that car thefts are too minor to be taken seriously. 

And I don't mind naming the irresponsible police constable who "lost" the ID concerned.  It was the Virgin Turgeon of Dutton Park cop shop,  who still works there but who has since been promoted.  If she sues me for defamation,  I would be overjoyed to air the whole matter in court.  And I have the means to do so.

And the Baden-Clay case fits the laziness mould.  He was the husband of the deceased so suspicion automatically fell on him.  The fact that they could find nothing to pin on him for months and the fact that the forensic science results turned  up nothing show how weak the case is

And although he is a man of known good character with only the normal quantum of human weaknessess, that apparently did not count either. 

The chief thing that made him "suspicious" appears  to be that he appeared insufficiently emotional about his wife's death.  Those  who know anything about Australian judicial history will however recall that as being the chief charge against  Lindy Chamberlain  -- and we all know how that turned out.  Hollywood even made a movie out of it

GERARD Baden-Clay spent last night behind bars after being charged with the murder of his wife Allison.

Nearly two months after phoning police to say the woman he called his "angel" had disappeared, he was taken into police custody on Wednesday and charged with causing her death.  He was also charged with unlawfully interfering with a corpse.

The real estate agent arrived at Indooroopilly police station yesterday afternoon where he met head of homicide Detective Superintendent Brian Wilkins and the top cop in charge of the drawn-out investigation, Detective Superintendent Mark Ainsworth.

The detectives left the station at about 5.20pm, refusing to comment.

It is understood Baden-Clay was in the police station for several hours before his lawyer Darren Mahony arrived.  On his way in, Mr Mahony confirmed his client was inside. About an hour later he emerged and said his client was about to be charged.  "Police have indicated the intention to charge my client with murder," Mr Mahony said. "He's devastated."

He said Baden-Clay would "defend the charge vigorously".

Members of the public watched as media waited for Baden-Clay's departure. Shortly after, the 41-year-old was bundled, handcuffed, into a police car and driven to the Brisbane watchhouse by detectives.  Upon arrival at the watchhouse, Baden-Clay looked shocked but just stared straight ahead.

Allison Baden-Clay was reported missing by her husband at 7.30am on April 20 when he told police she had left the house the previous night and not returned.

Her disappearance sparked a massive search, with police turning up on their days off to join dozens of investigators and State Emergency Services volunteers to scour the bush around the family's Brookfield home.

Search crews checked dams and abandoned mine shafts in the densely wooded suburb, pleading with locals to conduct searches of their own properties.

Her body was found 10 days later by a kayaker on the banks of the Kholo Creek at Anstead. At the same time, homicide detectives and scientific investigators arrived at Baden-Clay's Brookfield Rd home.

Police asked The Courier-Mail to move back and blocked the driveway with their cars while investigators scoured the property with torches.

Yesterday, the couple's three daughters, aged 10, 8 and 5, were taken into police care at a separate station before being collected by Allison's parents, Geoff and Priscilla Dickie.

Baden-Clay's parents, Nigel and Elaine, made no comment to media when they arrived at their Kenmore home yesterday evening.

Allison Baden-Clay was an accomplished ballerina who travelled Australia and the UK as a girl with the Australian Youth ballet.

As an adult, she spoke six languages and rose through the ranks from a Flight Centre sales assistant to the company's national human resources manager.

It was while working at Flight Centre that she met Gerard Baden-Clay. She left her career behind to care for her family of three daughters.

Her husband's great-grandfather, Lord Baden-Powell, started the scouting movement, a fact Baden-Clay mentioned often in his online business profiles.

He was regularly quoted in media reports about the real estate market.  "In business, it's simple: never lie," he said in 2008. "For starters, it's the wrong thing to do but secondly you will always get caught out and usually when you least expect it.  "There are just too many people, too many personalities, too many trails ... and too much to lose."

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Surfers Paradise police stood down over alleged bashing of Noa Begic at station

Good to see this disgraceful situation nearing a resolution.  The victim has had a struggle to get the cops this far,  despite the video.  The Gold Coast cops really are scum

TWO police officers have been officially suspended over the alleged bashing of a young chef in the basement of a Gold Coast police station.

Noa Begic was arrested in January on a charge of public nuisance before he was taken to Surfers Paradise police station.  CCTV footage obtained exclusively by The Courier-Mail showed the 21-year-old, with his hands cuffed behind his back, on the receiving end of a flurry of punches as he was restrained by a group of officers.

The Ethical Standards Command launched an investigation in to the incident in February and police this afternoon confirmed a 35-year-old senior constable and a 53-year-old senior sergeant have now been stood down from official duty.

The senior constable is under investigation for excessive use of force, while the senior sergeant, who is shown on the video footage using a bucket of water to wash away what looks like a pool of blood, is being investigated on allegations of excessive use of force and failing to supervise junior officers.

The announcement comes with charges against Mr Begic set to be dropped by police prosecutors in a court appearance tomorrow.  Mr Begic faced Southport Magistrates Court last week, where prosecutors indicated they would drop charges of public nuisance and obstructing police.

His legal team will tomorrow seek court costs from police while the young Nerang father is also considering suing the Queensland Police Service.

A Surfers Paradise officer accused of leaking footage to The Courier-Mail has been re-assigned.  [He deserves a medal!]

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