You might remember me from previous posts. I was the student who was
mobbed by two gumbies (ie. Revenue Protection Officers) at Melbourne
Central Station on September 2, of this year.
They accused me of fair evasion, even though I had shown them both my
_valid_ monthly concession ticket 4 times!! I suspect that they enjoyed
harrassing me, and drumming up charges of 'assault', 'failing to give
name and address' and 'resisting arrest'.
'Assault'? In my right hand I was balancing two magazines (internet
mags, for the record), and an assignment. In my left hand I was
struggling to hold onto the my valid ticket, as Frank Williams allegedly
tried to pull it from me.
'Failing to give name and address'? Funny that they never asked for
it! I was in 'custody' for 50 min, and not once did they ask for my
name or address. What a joke!
'resisting arrest'? While balancing two magazines and an assignment,
struggling to prevent Frank Williams from allegedly destroying my ticket
and trying to maintain my balance, as two aggressive gumbies tossed me
around, I somehow had time to 'resist arrest'. At 6'1" and 80kg, if I
wanted to resist arrest, these two would have had scars to prove it.
Oh, and I guess I threw myself through that knee-cap high barrier?!
Today I contacted Ian McGreggor, who is the manager of the investigation
group looking into the incident. Apart from saying 'Mr Morgan' at the
end of every sentence this chap really didn't say anything that I didn't
know - that the PTC doesn't make mistakes and that I am telling lies.
He did say, however, in a round-about way, that if I was willing to let
the matter sit, that no action would be taken against me. I said that I
wanted a formal written and face-to-face apology from both members
involved - which has been my request from day one.
I reminded him that his officers had broken the law when they failed to
give me their name and department details - which can be confirmed by
two police officers, who had to get the details for me. But of course,
he denies that fact.
He then said, "so you either receive an apology, or you take the matter
to court". I said damn right. I won't be intimidated by the PTC, and I
hope that nobody else does. He said that he will seek legal advice.
If you are a lawyer, or represent a law firm that has been following my
plight, I would like to discuss what action that I can take against the
PTC. I am willing to take my story to the media if required.