Highway speed police were racists, says caught driver
By Janet Fife-Yeomans
The Daily Telegraph
August 25, 2009 12:00AM
NO One denies that when highway patrol officers chased an allegedly speeding driver they manhandled him from his car and threw him to the ground. But Jamal Ejaidi claims it was because he was Lebanese.
The arresting officers say different. Senior Constable Brett Rossiter said he treated Ejaidi the same as he treated nine out of 10 drivers after a chase and denied he was being violent or racist.
Graphic vision captured by the highway patrol car camera was played in Bankstown Local Court yesterday showing Ejaidi being dragged from his car and then out of sight of the camera.
Defending the way he acted, Constable Rossiter said he needed to take control of the situation for his safety and the safety of other officers.
But Ejaidi's lawyer Greg Walsh said: "Without even asking them to produce their licence? You resort to violence?"
It is alleged that Ejaidi was stopped after a police pursuit which lasted just 30 seconds through Punchbowl on October 16 last year.
Ejaidi, 22, of Riverwood has pleaded not guilty to driving his rotary-charged Mazda RX8 in a dangerous manner and not stopping when directed to. Mr Walsh told the court the arrest should have not only been captured on camera, but recorded for sound to safeguard the police as well as the alleged offender.
But Constable Rossiter said he did not take the microphone out of the patrol car with him. "I forgot," he said.
The police allege that they followed Ejaidi in his green Mazda which was driving erratically in company with a red Nissan Pulsar SSS. When they pulled the Nissan over, Ejaidi sped past doing up to 100km/h in a 50km/h zone.
With sirens and lights, the police gave chase and Ejaidi stopped in Punchbowl Rd.
Constable Rossiter said: "We got him down on the ground. My knees were then on his back to restrain him on the ground while I brought his arms around to handcuff him."
Constable Rossiter and his partner Senior Constable Aaron Sheldrick denied deliberately moving Ejaidi out of sight of the police camera.
The court was told Ejaidi has made an official complaint to Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione about the behaviour of the two officers, alleging he was assaulted.
Both officers denied a suggestion by Mr Walsh that they swore at Ejaidi, telling him "f . . . ing smart-arse Lebbo. You're f . . . . d".
Mr Walsh told the court that six months later, Constable Sheldrick pulled Ejaidi over again.
He gave Ejaidi a defect notice and then asked him what Mr Walsh was charging for his defence, it was alleged.
Mr Walsh said that Constable Sheldrick then asked Ejaidi to go to McDonald's with him for a coffee to "sort this out".
The accusation was not put to Constable Sheldrick yesterday before the court adjourned.
It would be great if the officers concerned did in fact use the words “"f . . . ing smart-arse Lebbo. You're f . . . . d". It would indicate a willingness on the part of at least one or two NSW Police officers to speak the language of the buyer.
Ask any Australian’s unfortunate enough to still be living inside Sydney’s Occupied Territories, what it’s like driving on the roads with these arse clowns displaying their macho cultural diversity via their girly man cars, breaking every traffic law written and been totally untouchable by the NSW Police.
UPDATE VIDEO
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