Policeman faces charges of assaulting young trio

A policeman facing assault charges after allegedly beating and verbally abusing three young complainants on three separate occasions appeared in the Papakura District Court yesterday.

Senior Sergeant Anthony Solomona of Manukau-Wiri police faces five charges of assault and one of assault with a weapon, stemming from incidents alleged to have happened last February and March.

He denies the charges, and is on bail.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Robert Fardell, QC, said that in the first incident Solomona was on patrol in Manurewa. After encountering a group of young people at a service station, he allegedly drove his patrol car into the driver's side doors of Angelo Turner's Toyota Corolla car.

After Mr Turner remonstrated with him, Solomona allegedly manhandled the 17-year-old into the police car, deliberately bashing his head against the roof-mounted lights in the process.

Mr Turner later spent about 15 minutes handcuffed to a fence in Mangere while Solomona and his partner attended an armed offenders squad callout.

When he asked the officers why he was handcuffed to a fence, he was told to be quiet or he would be shot.

Solomona allegedly told Mr Turner that if he ever saw him in South Auckland again, "you're going down".

When Mr Turner said he lived in South Auckland, Solomona replied, "I don't give a ****. You will be my bitch".

Mr Turner told the court that at no time was he arrested, told his rights or cautioned. "The only thing he said to me was abuse."

The youth was finally released without charge.

Two other complainants have yet to be heard, but Mr Fardell said they would tell the court of being punched, physically threatened and verbally abused by Solomona. The charge of assault with a weapon was laid after Solomona allegedly bruised one complainant's chin and lip with a baton.

Six witnesses gave evidence for the prosecution yesterday. Mr Turner's girlfriend at the time, Kellyanne Corbett, told the court that Solomona had never threatened Mr Turner with arrest before he took him away.

"They didn't say he was under arrest or anything, so I didn't know why they were taking him away."

Ms Corbett also rejected suggestions from defence counsel John Haigh, QC, that Mr Turner was a boy racer. "I would hardly say he was a boy racer in a Corolla."

If he was a boy racer, his car "would be faster ... and not a 1300cc".

Constable Malcolm Westerlund, who was on patrol with Solomona on the night of the alleged incident, also gave evidence, but could remember no details about Mr Turner being picked up. Asked why he stayed in the patrol car while Solomona dealt with Mr Turner, he replied: "He is the senior sergeant, he is the boss. He doesn't need my assistance."

Mr Westerlund did, however, give details of an incident in the Wiri police station involving Solomona.

He said that in the muster room, he had found a digital photograph of a young Polynesian man with a sign around his neck bearing the words, "I belong to Senior Sergeant Solomona".

Solomona was angry when confronted with the picture, and "growled" at the constable. Solomona considered the behaviour shown in the picture was "unprofessional", the court heard.

The hearing, before Judge Bruce Davidson, is set down for two weeks.