Only in Australia. In the U.S. they probably would have tasered/shot him beat him up and lied through their teeth about what happened.

        •        Officers pour out woman's drink
        •        Boyfriend tells cop to "f*ck off"
        •        Cops "quite immune to the words"
A QUEENSLAND magistrate has ruled that it is acceptable for people to tell police officers to "f*ck off".
Magistrate Peter Smid yesterday threw out the court case against Mundingburra man Bardon Kaitira, 28, who swore at a female officer outside the Consortium night club on December 20, last year at 2.40am, The Townsville Bulletin reports. 

Constable Belinda Young gave evidence that Mr Kaitira used the swear word twice towards her after a group of officers patrolling Flinders St East poured out his girlfriend's drink. 

"The defendant said 'f*ck off' and starting walking away and I asked: 'What did you say?'," she said. 

"He said 'f*ck off" again and then said: 'I don't like the police you think you are all heroes'.
"I told him it was an offence to swear at an officer and gave him two choices - a fine or be arrested."

Mr Kaitira opted to be put in handcuffs and taken to the watch house.

After winning the landmark case he explained outside court why he pleaded not guilty - despite admitting to swearing at Constable Young.

"On the night it was completely over the top and I didn't think it was fair," Mr Kaitira said.

"Most people just cop a fine but I didn't want to do that."

The defendant instead read through hundreds of similar legal cases before employing a leading criminal barrister and a solicitor to take on his public nuisance case at a cost of $4622.11.

It was worth it for the horticulturist as Magistrate Smid said he was not satisfied Mr Kaitira committed an offence and police could be liable for his legal bills.

"The defendant spoke normally, he had his hands in his pockets and walked away," Magistrate Smid said.

"It's not the most polite way of speaking but those who walk the beat would be quiet immune to the words."

The magistrate said overall the conduct of the defendant was not a nuisance to the public because it didn't interfere with fellow night club goers.

"It was overkill by the officer who was not offended anyway," Mr Smid said.

"But she pursued him clearly annoyed he hadn't shown remorse."

Defence barrister Justin Greggery said the case was "doomed to fail" from the start, arguing that saying the f-word to police was "not an offence".

"It was simply f*ck off - a common enough expression which wasn't descriptive like f*ck you or you f*ck," he said.

"Really the word has lost its affect due to its use in books, films, and general speech."

Mr Greggery added that police were trying to criminalise language, which set a dangerous precedent.

"When they try to set the bar this low they are saying the word f*ck is criminal conduct," he said.

"This is language they use themselves on the job (while arresting offenders and to other officers)."

However, police prosecutor Sergeant Richard Scholl argued Mr Kaitira's code of conduct was offensive and stinging towards the policewoman.

"He displayed behaviour and made jibes with the intention to insult. Police should be shielded from this type of language and the community cannot accept it's OK for a private citizen to tell police to f*** off," he said.

Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers agreed and called for an urgent appeal of the case, which could set a precedent in Queensland law.

"It is a sad day when the courts and government say it is OK to use four letter words at police," he said.

"To say it's OK to use offensive language at police in the street, who are just doing their job makes, no sense at all."

Mr Smid will decide today whether the Queensland Police Service will cover Mr Kaitira's legal bills, which legal counsel later reduced to $2527.50 after a successful outcome.

By law the maximum amount that can be reimbursed is $1500.

The case follows that of Sydney student Henry Grech, who was cleared in May of an offensive language charge against police after a local court magistrate ruled the word "prick" was part of every-day speech.
Link here:
http://www.news.com.au/breaking- ... rfku9-1225902009653

very interesting read.

so i guess there's precedent now to tell the police "fuck off, you prick!" and walk away unscathed, given that fuck off and prick are all now part of every-day speech as ruled.

Actually, it shouldn't have consequences calling a cop in the US anything. Of course there are power-loving cocksuckers who just want to fuck you up and will say you "resisted" or something. But it's not actually an offense to insult police officers in the US, unlike many other countries.

You should give it a try and get back to us with the result. I'm pretty sure they have internet access in hospital.

In parts of America it's considered "harrassment of a police officer" to swear at a cop.  1st amendment really doesn't do anything.  In Los Angelous California, you would get tasered, beaten and arrested for swearing at a cop.  Since it's aggrivated disorderly conduct or something like that.

quite true. cops in the States crave respect, and enjoy being treated like authority figures. any disrespect usually pisses them off.

Yeh I work as a Criminal Defence Solicitor and I can tell you its perfectly fine to do so, you're not offending them because they get it all the time at night. Its so common that police aren't offended by them enough to take them to court.

Click on the link at the bottom and watch the attached video.

Police smashed OAP's car window after stopping him for not wearing a seat belt
        •        Car windown hit 15 times with baton
        •        Motorist, 70, had a heart condition
        •        "You'd have thought I had robbed a bank"
TWO police officers have been suspended after they stopped a 70-year-old motorist for not wearing a seat belt, smashed in his windscreen and dragged him out of his car.
Robert Whatley's terrifying arrest was caught on video (see below) and the footage shows one officer jumping on the car bonnet and kicking the windscreen and the other hitting the glass with his baton 15 times until it smashed.
Mr Whatley, who had recently suffered a stroke, told The Daily Mail: "The police went completely over the top – you would have thought I had robbed a bank.
"I was terrified when they started smashing in the window and trying to kick in the windscreen."
Mr Whatley, from Usk, in Wales, was originally stopped for not wearing a seat belt.
Caerphilly Magistrates Court was told that while traffic police were issuing him with a fine, his Range Rover jumped forward and knocked one of the officers over.
Mr Whatley told the court he drove off because he was feeling vulnerable and was worried he was going to have another stroke.
The traffic officers followed and tried to pull Mr Whatley over again but he thought their sirens and flashing lights meant they were escorting him home.
When he eventually stopped, the officers arrested him - with a patrol car camera capturing the attack on the car.
The magistrates court fined Mr Whatley guilty £235 ($408) for not wearing a seat belt, failing to stop for a police officer and failing to stop after an accident.
Gwent Police said that the two officers had been suspended and that the incident was being investigated.
Link here:
http://www.news.com.au/world/pol ... rfkyi-1225902293206
 

[ Last edited by  atomic3d at 7-8-2010 05:26 ]

If I was an old rich lady, I can always slap a police office if he insulted me.....The best way is yell at the office in English to get your way in HK.......

"I have diplomatic immunity and I can do whatever I want" but she doesn't have it.  I am going to sue the hk gov't for injustices and lack of respect.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ontRgrb4wNU

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 7-8-2010 07:03 ]

Two things about this awesome clip

1) That newsreader is horny as fuck. She needs to be in that japanese one where men run up and cum on her face as she reads the news.  - One seriously hot girl

2) Around 35 seconds. Old woman slaps cop. He then realises he is on TV and about 3 seconds later drops to the floor grabbing his head and makes a sound like a cow having the milking machine hose attached to his udder. THAT IS FUCKING HILARIOUS AND I HAVE WATCHED IT 40 TIMES.

That copper is gay. He watches too much football (wendyball) and was clearly trying to pervert the course of justice. What a little cunt. Heneeds to be named and shamed and then given a proper slap. What a prize poofy little cunt. Ridicule  - loss of face - that's what he needs.gay twat.

Here's a famous youtube picture what happens in America!

Policeman LAPD beat the guy down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3el_8Vbwago

Where did you get this information?

Amina should just tell the cops to fxxk off and walk away.

I admit that the coppers were way out of line, but this stupid old pratt needs to be taken off the road... He thought the police car behind him with the lights and sirens on was escorting him home???

This story could so easily have been, "70 year old pensioner loses control of his car and kills family of 5 in horrific accident!"

I wonder what the media would have made of the story if they did not have access to the camera footage - probably not much.

This guy could well need to be taken off the road and no doubt in other circumstance the footage would have been used as proof of this. In this part of Australia once you reach 70 you are obliged to retest every year if you wish to retain your driving license.

The point is however that the police reaction was totally out of proportion to the offence and indicative of the attitude prevalent amongst their profession.

What exactly happened after that? There has to be a story behind that...

Hmmmm.... you and Weelock - are you at present in HKG?

If you guys are here, you MUST have caught all the news and controversy with Amina Bokhary - the gal who slapped the cop.

This is the THIRD time that she had been charged AND convicted for assaulting a police officer- and the magistrate just gave her an HK$8,000 fine and put her on probation for a year. This to include the fact that she crashed her car head-on onto an incoming bus on the wrong side of the road and then refusing to take a breathalizer test (she admitted in court to having has 2 (yeah 2! right!) drinks prior to the accident).

And the controversial exteremely light sentence is what's the big hooplah surrounding this case - as she just happens to be the niece of Chief Justice of the Final Appeal Kemal Bokhary and of Ronald Arculli, chairman of the HK stock exchange.

One justice for us common people and one for Amina!!

SEAJ

I aready knew about the light sentence.  A mod even used it as his avatar. I think it was  AP. There was even a thread.

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 8-8-2010 10:22 ]

Apparently it is all in the way it is enuncated - but you would have to be a foolish person to test it in the first place.  But, there are also people who climb the boundary fence and streak at sporting events knowing that it is virtually a certainty they will get caught and face a fine of several thousand dollars so common sense has no limits for some people

OMG...that cop is so bullish man ! I know that I don't want to mess up with an american cop if I ever come to visit the States.

On the other hand, HK cops are such nice teddy bears   Are they always like that or it's because they new the girl was a VIP ?

As far as french cops, they don't give a shit if your a VIP apparently. Just look at that vid below and see what happened to a french woman athlete who didn't obey the cops when they forbid access to a particular route.

6 cops versus 1 woman. Polcimen argued she was so strong they needed to be 6 on her:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video ... barber-28-ma_people

[ Last edited by  conqueror77 at 10-8-2010 03:31 ]