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A former all Black is angry his disabled son was arrested and held overnight in police cells, claiming police thought the 21-year-old was drunk when in fact he cannot talk.
Grahame Thorne says his son David was walking home alone from a Christchurch bar on Thursday night when he was handcuffed by police after he could not answer their questions.
"The cops, as they do, asked: 'What are you doing, son?'
"He couldn't answer, they'd think he was pissed, so they handcuffed him and put him in the cells. I don't think it's fair. It's left a sour taste in my mouth."
Last night, police confirmed the detainment of Thorne, saying there had been a number of complaints made that the man was "boozed and persisted walking among traffic", so officers returned him to the station for "detox". Told of Thorne's family background, Senior Sergeant Kerry Salt said: "Oh, I didn't realise who he was, at the time the name didn't mean anything." Salt said the man was "soaked" and "smelt of booze", so the responsible thing for police to do was "keep him safe in detox".
David Thorne suffered a massive stroke and permanent brain damage after he was injured during a Nelson club rugby game in May last year.
His father claimed a head-high tackle burst the carotid artery, although a Tasman Rugby Union investigation could not pinpoint the cause of the injury that triggered the on-field stroke. More recent tests revealed that David also has dysphasia - a condition that makes the victim unable to speak or understand words.
"It's like dyslexia, but way worse, because the words simply don't come to you," Thorne said. "It's like living in a washing machine."
Taken into the police cells shortly after midnight, David was released the following morning, but police had not contacted the Thorne family about the arrest.
David had a "couple of beers" with his friends and was walking the few kilometres home by himself, but Thorne said his son was not under the influence of alcohol.
He sometimes stayed at the homes of friends, so his family was not worried by his overnight absence.
When asked why his severely disabled son was out drinking with friends and walking home alone, Thorne said: "You've got to let the kid out".
"You can't keep a 21-year-old home 24/7.
"We're trying to rehabilitate him, and he's got to have social interaction," said Thorne. "If he wants to go out with his mates, you can't turn him into an institutionalised wreck."
Thorne, a 10-test All Black, recently resigned as a Nelson City Councillor to be closer to David in Christchurch.
His son was still not "100 per cent", had lost much of his memory because of the stroke, walked with a limp and also suffered from severe fits.
"He doesn't seem any worse for wear, but this whole thing is very strange," said Thorne.
The police spokesman said he didn't know Thorne suffered a medical condition, he just thought he was drunk. "We couldn't even get his address out of him," the officer told the Herald on Sunday.
Thorne will face no charges over the incident.
- Additional reporting Jonathan Marshall
