Tue 5th Mar, 2013 in Local News
2809136
Note: This story was updated at 10pm on 5 March with video footage.

Information about two incidents of alleged police brutality have emerged from Oxford Street on Saturday night, a short time after this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras Parade ended.

Leading gay activist Bryn Hutchinson has alleged that he was kicked and stomped on after he attempted to cross the road. A number of witnesses have backed up his story, while Sydney MP Alex Greenwich says he is aware of the alleged police assault and will be following it up.

An extra 1,000 police were stationed in the CBD for the night’s festivities, with many of the officers called from outer suburban and regional commands.

Same Same has also been contacted by witnesses to another alleged police assault in the same vicinity on the night, with claims that a man was punched and left bleeding after his head was smashed against concrete after he had already been handcuffed by police officers.

A witness who was present with her two teenaged sisters says the violent actions of the officers involved left her younger siblings seriously traumatised.

“They were crying while the police bashed the boy’s head into the cement,” she said. “It was horrible, disgusting behaviour.”

Another witness adds: “They picked him up by the throat and slammed him into the ground with his head hitting the ground that hard it sounded like a bowling ball hitting the ground,” she said. “This was while he was in handcuffs.”

WARNING: This video contains graphic images of physical violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

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FILMING POLICE IS NOT A CRIME.

The idiot is whacked out on drugs. I have no sympathy for drugged up tools.

In an ideal society they would not be allowed such vices.

The reaction was unnecessary. As much as I agree on the drugs front, there's no excuse for bashing a kids skull in.

The idiot is whacked out on drugs. I have no sympathy for drugged up tools.

I say bring back the good old days where if you did something wrong you copped a flogging so you never did it again.

He's not on drugs, he's just intoxicated. And even if he WAS on some kind of substance that in no way excuses the police's actions. They are meant to be the sober custodian in these situations and their actions are completely inexcusable and reprehensible. The young lad is 60kg tops and that officer has picked him up and thrown him to the ground. It's disgusting.

You were there were you? You're assuming that the kid did something wrong.

Edited by afromanGT: 5/3/2013 11:45:36 PM

Given the fact they started filming once he was already arrested, it's unfair to start throwing accusations around. We don't know what happened in the minutes leading up to the arrest, or what he was arrested for.

Given the fact they started filming once he was already arrested, it's unfair to start throwing accusations around. We don't know what happened in the minutes leading up to the arrest, or what he was arrested for.

Nevertheless, my gay friends and their community are outraged as it is and jumping to their own conclusions as you can imagine.

Is there a particular reason that this is even remotely related to the "victim" in the video being gay?

The issue that the kid is gay seems insignificant considering the state he's in.

Given the fact they started filming once he was already arrested, it's unfair to start throwing accusations around. We don't know what happened in the minutes leading up to the arrest, or what he was arrested for.

The guy has lost control of himself and has made himself another persons problem. I don't know 100% but he looks more than intoxicated. Either way its a lack of personal responsibility. That's my issue with it. The policeman shouldn't have done what he did but given the state of he guy I don't have all that much sympathy for him.

The flogging comment was a general statement. These days if you get up some roid freak in a club who cuts the line chances are he'll have a go. Worse still he's usually got roid freak mates waiting for a go. Maybe its just the GC but there's too much group/gang violence and the police don't do anything.

Well.... he doesn't look in a great shape. Conclusions may be drawn.

And regardless of that, if the police feel the need to man-handle a kid that size in order to subdue him they've failed at their jobs.

Yeah, because as you can see they're poorly trained and busy picking fights they know they can win instead of doing their fucking job. What goes on in the GC police bars and clubs is irrelevant when we're talking about NSW police.

If they guy is so inebriated that he's lost control, that just makes their actions even worse. They're picking on a guy who has little to no control of his motor skills, has his hands cuffed behind his back. He's defenceless and unable to protect himself. He's inebriated, had his head split open, probably has a concussion and the cops decide to have another crack at him and throw him into the ground.

The conclusion you jumped to that he deserved it was frankly offensive. A short, skinny lad like that, for all we know he probably drank too much, was Drunk and Disorderly and when the police approached him he probably mouthed off and subsequently one of the officers took umbrage to that because...well, you can't call a spade a spade when the police are involved.

Heineken and I both work jobs where we rely on police officers to conduct themselves with decorum and defuse situations like this, not exacerbate them by creating a scene with hysterical women, confusion and blood.

This video is a PR nightmare for the Mardi Gras, NSW Police and the state government.

And regardless of that, if the police feel the need to man-handle a kid that size in order to subdue him they've failed at their jobs.

Yeah, because as you can see they're poorly trained and busy picking fights they know they can win instead of doing their fucking job. What goes on in the GC police bars and clubs is irrelevant when we're talking about NSW police.

If they guy is so inebriated that he's lost control, that just makes their actions even worse. They're picking on a guy who has little to no control of his motor skills, has his hands cuffed behind his back. He's defenceless and unable to protect himself. He's inebriated, had his head split open, probably has a concussion and the cops decide to have another crack at him and throw him into the ground.

The conclusion you jumped to that he deserved it was frankly offensive. A short, skinny lad like that, for all we know he probably drank too much, was Drunk and Disorderly and when the police approached him he probably mouthed off and subsequently one of the officers took umbrage to that because...well, you can't call a spade a spade when the police are involved.

Heineken and I both work jobs where we rely on police officers to conduct themselves with decorum and defuse situations like this, not exacerbate them by creating a scene with hysterical women, confusion and blood.

This video is a PR nightmare for the Mardi Gras, NSW Police and the state government.

My question is really what does the gay community have to do with this? I'd assume the gay community would take issue if people were unfairly abused by police because they're. Is there something i'm missing which could demonstrate that the attack in this video is homophobically (I made up a word) motivated which would justify "Gay Community Outrage."

On current information the gay community seem to be pissed because a gay guy got attacked for being a drunk/drugged up idiot who can't control himself (not justifying police actions). It doesn't seem like an issue (on current info) that should concern the community :-k

From the footage, it definitely does look heavy handed, I'm not saying that the officer involved probably shouldn't have used that amount of force, but we don't know the events leading up to the filming.

Quite frankly, the amount of frustration Police have in dealing with drunken and drug fueled idiots weekend in weekend out, you're bound to get one or two loose eggs after a while.

As a general comment though some police brutality might help.

If a gay guy got beaten up because he was gay the gay community would be outraged every week. (Not saying that this is right)

When the police who are sworn to protect fail to do their jobs correctly that's when it becomes an issue. As a minority, it is even more difficult. And if police find that hard, they shouldn't be a cop.

In other revelations from benelsmore, Apartheid was a misunderstood ideal on the road to for world peace.

As I said before it's disturbing that people like the 'victim' get into this state and the police have to waste their energy dealing with such screw-ups. Regardless of what happened how the hell can people let themselves get so drunk in public?

From the footage, it definitely does look heavy handed, I'm not saying that the officer involved probably shouldn't have used that amount of force, but we don't know the events leading up to the filming.

Quite frankly, the amount of frustration Police have in dealing with drunken and drug fueled idiots weekend in weekend out, you're bound to get one or two loose eggs after a while.

As a general unrelated point, police seem to be held to a much higher standard with regard to "brutality" than practical. It concerns me how pedantic we have become.

No, they're not. They're well-trained and doing a job. If joe blow walked up the street, picked up a kid and threw him to the ground like that he'd be charged with assault. A police officer being shit at his job does NOT mitigate that.

They are still human though. No amount of training can change a person's breaking point. You cannot train people to see some of the horrors these men and women deal with.

The video in this thread is probably a poor way to express my point. Police are attacked every week in surfers paradise and I see on facebook people calling out their brutality if they attempt to break up fights by firmly restraining the assailants and putting them to the ground. I just feel that no matter how they act during a heated situation their actions are seen as heavy handed. Even capsicum spray and tasers are seen as over the top in many situations. Perhaps this should be put in a separate thread.

They are still human though. No amount of training can change a person's breaking point. You cannot train people to see some of the horrors these men and women deal with.

The video in this thread is probably a poor way to express my point. Police are attacked every week in surfers paradise and I see on facebook people calling out their brutality if they attempt to break up fights by firmly restraining the assailants and putting them to the ground. I just feel that no matter how they act during a heated situation their actions are seen as heavy handed. Even capsicum spray and tasers are seen as over the top in many situations. Perhaps this should be put in a separate thread.

Like I said to you before, what happens on the gold coast is completely irrelevant. IT's a different environment, a different police force with different training.

Regardless of whether they're still human, they're trained to conduct themselves with decorum. That's like going "well, I spat in that guy's drink - it's outside the constraints of my job - but I'm only human, right?"