With the DPP now stating there is sufficient evidence to charge four police with assault relating to the death of Roberto Laudisio Curti, the Police Commissioner must immediately act to protect public confidence in the police and suspend those officers from duty until the conclusion of any legal process.
Greens MP and Police Spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said:
“These officers are entitled to the presumption of innocence, but the public are also entitled to have confidence in serving police, and this requires the Commissioner to act and suspend the officers immediately.
“The conclusion of the DPP adds to the damning findings from both the Coroner and the Police Integrity Commission about the violence of police on the night of Mr Curti’s death.
“If these findings had been made about any other public servant, whether a nurse or a teacher, there is no question that they would have been suspended from duty pending the final determination of the Courts.
“Why are police, who have so much discretionary power, not subject to the same scrutiny?”
“The presumption of innocence is essential in any criminal trial these officers may face, but until there is a final decision by the courts common sense dictates that these officers should not be active duty,” Mr Shoebridge said.
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Roberto Laudisio Curti’s family in Brazil, Italy and the United States have also put out a statement regarding the DPP’s recommendation:
On behalf of the Brazilian family in Brazil, in Italy and in the United States I come to declare our thoughts regarding the positions of the DPP office regarding Roberto Laudisio case.
We believe that the position of the DPP office is a very important step ahead in order to bring justice. However there are many other issues still to be addressed.
Mr. Bruce Barbour, the NSW Parliament ombudsman for this case strongly criticized the police investigation in this case for not investigating the crimes committed by police officers that resulted in Roberto’s death. He is absolutely right since there are very strong evidences that at least four of the officers tortured Roberto according to their own statements during the coronial inquest. They declared that they tasered Roberto on drivestun mode at least eight times, up to fifteen seconds each time, and used three cans of capsicum spray on an extremely short distance as a “pain compliance technique”. If such “a pain compliance technique” is allowed (or encouraged) in training or SOP’s, as they claimed, it is even a much worse issue since it can be unquestionably characterized as torture, as defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Article 1.1, which is largely adopted by adopted into Australian legislation, as described in the Australian Criminal Code Act 1995.
Moreover a more in-depth investigation is more than needed regarding manslaughter. As stated in the coroner’s report — Although she has not identified a specific cause of death, she concludes that Roberto’s death was unquestionably caused by police action. We do not know Australian legislation regarding manslaughter but evidences are quite strong and deserve more in-depth investigation.
Sunlight is the best sanitary agent invented and the NSW Parliament and legal institutions should try hard to bring all police brutality and abuse to sunlight.
Domingos A Laudisio