On-edge red-zoner claims he was badly roughed up by police
A Christchurch woman says she will never forget the fear of seeing her husband being forced to lie facedown by armed police, a rifle against his face.
‘‘The humiliation and the fear was terrifying,’’ Iris Bennett said.
The couple have complained to the Independent Police Conduct Authority after John Bennett, 65, was allegedly pushed against a wall, searched and forced to lie flat on the ground outside his Burwood home on December 16.
Wearing only a light T-shirt and underpants, Mr Bennett was investigating suspicious noises and ran into a police cordon set up to catch an unrelated fugitive.
However, he went back to retrieve a child-sized baseball bat and a 36-yearold air pistol from under his bed.
Mr Bennett, who has a pacemaker, ended up being charged with unlawfully carrying an air pistol and possessing a baseball bat with the apparent intention to use it to commit an offence involving the fear of violence.
Police withdrew the charges in Christchurch District Court yesterday.
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Gary Knowles said he was ‘‘quite comfortable’’ police actions that night were appropriate.
‘‘They were faced with an unknown armed offender with weapons. You don’t have time to look at their age – they’re armed,’’ he said.
The police’s legal team advised prosecution was unlikely to succeed.
‘‘Nevertheless I would not urge people to arm themselves, even though it was a slug gun. You’ve got to put it in the context of what police are trained to do. It could have ended in the tragic circumstance where he was shot.’’
Mr Bennett said he and wife had been on edge since last February’s earthquake, when looters began con- tinually targeting their neighbourhood.
When he heard suspicious noises on December 16, Mr Bennett said he had pointed the air pistol towards the garage, away from where he heard a voice. He put the weapons down on request and stepped away from them.
‘‘One [officer] said, ‘he’s the owner of the house. He’s no threat to us’.’’
But the other officer searched him, before asking him to lie on the ground.
‘‘He puts his right boot right between my shoulder blades and puts all his weight on me. Then he grabs my hand and wrenches it behind my back. I can feel my pacemaker wires pulling.’’