The late Omega Ruston
Michael Smith
10 August, 2009
On Australia Day, 7 months ago, Gold Coast construction worker and father of two Omega Ruston was shot and killed.You might have seen this reported on by Paula Doneman in The Sunday Mail over the weekend.
Omega was on the way home from an Australia Day celebration with his family. He’d been at a park at North Burleigh.He was your typical Aussie bloke, a knockabout fella, enjoying being an Australian on Australia Day.
7 months after he was shot and killed, police have 4 “persons of interest” that they want to speak to.They know who they are.I will try to be as charitable as I can here.Police seem scared to arrest the criminals.
As a result the Crime and Misconduct Commission has been asked to summon the 4 men to appear – not in court, not in a police station, not to be interviewed by police – but to appear before the Crime and Misconduct Commission.
And the reason? As the CMC’s Assistant Commissioner John Callanan has told our Supreme Court in a sworn affidavit “traditional police strategies could not get information from potential witnesses entrenched in the organised crime culture of Middle Eastern and outlaw motorcycle gang crime syndicates.”
I am amazed to be reading this.He goes on to say that in some cases witnesses were “aggressively and even violently anti-police.”
What? We have 4 people who are allegedly implicated in the shooting death of a lovely bloke, one of our own, a father of two – shot dead in cold blood on Australia day and the police are reluctant to pick up the crooks?
Here’s what we know.The CMC has summoned 4 men to appear before the CMC to give evidence about what happened on Australia Day.The 4 “persons of interest” have politely declined to attend. The 4 have mounted a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.It’s like a legal challenge against being arrested and interviewed.
So now documents have been submitted to the Supreme Court.You or I can go to the court and read them.They are very, very scary reading.
CMC Assistant Commissioner John Callanan has filed an affidavit stating what allegedly happened to Omega Ruston.
According to the material before the Supreme Court, Omega Ruston was driving home with two mates along the Gold Coast Highway when his ute was cut off at Miami by 3 men in a red sedan.
Keep in mind this is a sworn affidavit from Commissioner Callanan.
“The occupants of each vehicle have them become involved in a verbal exchange while seated in their respective moving vehicles.Expletive hand gestures have been exchanged.”
The cars kept travelling south.Mr Ruston pulled over at Burleigh Heads and the other car pulled up about 15 metres behind him
Mr Ruston got out of his car and stood by the driver’s door.One of Omega’s passengers also got out and walked back towards the other car.
Now according to this affidavit from the CMC’s Assistant Commissioner, Omega’s passenger allegedly saw “a Lebanese man” who was sitting in the back seat of the red sedan. He was allegedly holding a black handgun, “possibly a semi or automatic firearm.”
He described the man as in his mid-20s, short black hair, olive complexion and muscular build.He was wearing a tight, white T-shirt.
The man from Mr Ruston’s vehicle also said he saw “Lebanese” males in the front passenger and driver seats.
The red car then pulled out and drove up beside Mr Ruston.At this stage the second passenger in Mr Ruston’s ute describes what he saw.
He says he saw the Lebanese man in the back of the sedan allegedly point a black handgun through the rear passenger window.
“The male person rested his wrists on the window and fired two consecutive shots at the deceased.” That’s a quote from the court document.
We know that Mr Ruston died from a gunshot wound to the stomach.2 little children have no dad.
The police have identified 4 persons of interest.Such is the culture of our community that the police have referred this matter to the CMC.
Not surprisingly, the 4 “persons of interest” have declined the CMC’s summons to appear to give evidence before the CMC.They have applied for a Supreme Court review of the CMC’s summonses for them to appear before the CMC.
It’s in the court documents before the Supreme Court that we get a sense of where our community is headed.
Why the police do not simply knock down a few doors and make arrests is beyond me.
The Queensland Police Service referred the case to the CMC for the CMC to investigate, using its coercive powers.
The CMC believes this is the right thing to do because potential witnesses are “entrenched in the organised crime culture of Middle Eastern and outlaw motorcycle gang crime syndicates.”
The CMC says some are “aggressively and even violently anti-police.”
The persons of interest have applied to the Supreme Court for the CMC to have over confidential information Queensland and NSW police have on the murder.
Who is running this country? What the hell have we become when police appear to be afraid to confront criminals? Why the delay in justice for the family of Omega Ruston? Is the CMC an alternative police force? Can criminals avoid arrest by going to the court and politely refusing requests to be interviewed?
There are many questions to be answered on this matter.Omega Ruston, knockabout Aussie father of two, shot dead on Australia Day.His memory deserves much, much better.
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Deadly streets: Violence on rise at Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads: Police upgrade a long way off
Many thanks to ANV reader Heather for the above story and other info pertaining to it.
Those with information are urged to contact the Burleigh Heads Police Station on (07) 5586 0444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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