It was a sensational case of lawless lawmen caught on tape in a criminal act in 2001 when 7NEWS exposed a security camera's recording 4 apparently drunk policemen shaking down a Chinese grocer. Looked very much like a crime, but today in court before the Chief Magistrate, their attorney Simeon Sampson said in fact the officers acted, "reasonably, intelligently, justifiably, with courtesy, and most importantly, legally."
For those of us who saw the tape, that might seem a bit much, but Sampson argued that they followed up on a reasonable suspicion that Dennis Chow was selling illegal lottery. As regards Chow's claim that the officers stole $100, Sampson also argues that the grocer can give no independent accounting of that.
The Chief Magistrate noted the arguments and is expected to give a decision tomorrow.
It's worth noting that one of the key witnesses, Constable Lincoln Kellyman who lived nearby and intervened to stop the constables and then called for backup has since died in a car accident so the prosecution is without his testimony.
