Private action taken against court officer

A man who says he was assaulted in a courthouse by a security officer denies he should have been forced out of the building, despite court staff saying he was aggressive.

Wayne Burrows is running a private prosecution against Mat Olsson, a court security officer based in Manawatu¯.

Burrows, representing himself, says he was assaulted by Olsson in the Palmerston North courthouse in July 2017. Olsson denies the allegation.

A two-day judge-alone trial began yesterday, with Burrows saying Olsson had no legal right to physically remove him from the courthouse and he used too much force if he did.

Burrows, his case’s sole witness, who asked himself questions in the witness box, said he went to the courthouse to file restraining orders against police and the Ministry of Justice. After interactions with registrars, Burrows said he was going to start recording audio. There are signs up in the courthouse, including on the front doors, saying not to record audio or video. Security video footage showed Burrows in the counter area with a security officer entering. Olsson follows, a discussion takes place, he places a hand on Burrows’ back and a physical encounter breaks out. Burrows goes to the ground, before he gets or is pulled to his feet. A police officer gets involved and the trio of officers grabs Burrows and forces him out of the area.

An audio recording Burrows made of the incident taped Olsson asking him to turn the recording off and leave the courthouse. He was also warned he would be removed if he did not comply.

Burrows said ‘‘you are assaulting me’’ 40 times between the first physical contact with security and the police officer arriving. The 25-minute audio recording also captured Burrows calling the police officer and Olsson a f......, claiming he could do so as ‘‘freedom of expression’’.

In court, Burrows said he believed the Bill of Rights allowed him to tape a conversation he was part of.

The court was a public place, so signs saying recording was banned should probably be removed, Burrows said.

He believed he was reasonable and calm, describing statements from registrars, court security officers and Olsson that he was aggressive as ‘‘fantasy’’.

Interactions yesterday became tense at times, with Burrows claiming he was being yelled at by defence lawyer Val Nisbet and taking umbrage at being asked if he was recording the hearing on his phone. Judge Geoff Rea stepped in multiple times, telling Burrows to stop ‘‘editorialising’’ and calling people names. The trial continues.