I know a man who was a lawyer. He had a client who gave him instructions about how to use the client's money. The man followed these instructions which were not illegal. As a result of following the client's instructions, the police became involved because some of the movements of money were unusual, but not illegal, but the police decided to investigate because they wanted to try to unearth a criminal.
The lawyer has no criminal history at all.
As a result of the police becoming involved, the following things happened to the lawyer:
1. He was arrested and taken to a police station. While travelling in the car the police recorded the conversation, but did not tell the lawyer that he was being recorded.
2. He was searched and photographed and had some of his possessions taken away from him.
3. He was placed in a police cell. The cell had a metal toilet bowl and toilet paper and a sink and tap and a hard bench with no coverings. There was an electric light and a camera in the corner of the ceiling, but no clock or anything at all on the bare walls. He had no idea of the passing of time and nothing to look at.
4. He was insulted and belittled by the police in the car and also at the police station.
5. He was questioned by 2 police officers in a small interview room for a couple of hours.
6. His home was searched by police.
7. Police took his money and possessions and items that had no relevance to their investigation.
8. He was questioned further by police.
9. His car was searched without his permission.
10. He was threatened with assault by one of the police.
11. He was released out a side door of the police station when it was dark.
12. He was forced to find his own way back to his office.
13. His business was shut down by the LSB without his consent.
14. Money owed by his clients to him for work done by him, was taken from him because all of his clients were taken from him. ($80,000)
15. His ability to earn his money through the practice of law was taken from him.
16. He now lived in fear of the police
17. He had to find another job to do which didn't involve the practice of law
18. He was now unemployed.
19.He was arrested again 20 months later without being shown a copy of the court order the police said authorised them to arrest him.
20. He spent 2 nights in a police station cell.
21. He wasn't allowed to phone or have any contact with his wife, despite being told when arrested that he would be able to.
22. He was questioned again by police.
23. Police rang his employer and tried to cause him to lose his job.
24. Police visited his ex wife and told her unnecessary things to try to cause her to withdraw support for him
25. Police visited his current wife and told her things to denigrate him in her eyes to try to persuade her to withdraw support for him.
26. Police tried to persuade him not to apply for extradition bail.
27. After the court granted him bail with certain time limits, police tried to cause these time limits to be exceeded to keep him in custody.
28. After travelling to court at his own expense, the court decided to impose a surety which placed him in the police cells for a third night.
29. He was handcuffed and put into the back of a police van which had a low uncomfortable seat causing him pain while travelling in it.
30. He was put in a police cell by himself.
31. He was forced to sell some items taken from him by police for a low cost, causing him to lose money.
32. His reputation in the town he used to work in was destroyed by front page newspaper reports which were incorrect, as well as tv news.
33. He was ridiculed and insulted by the court who did not follow proper process, and who tried to pressure him into pleading guilty.
34. He was forced to spend thousands of dollars to attend multiple court hearings, travel and accommodation.
35. He endured emotional distress and pressure having to defend himself against the charges.
And all of these things happened while not a single charge had been proven against him.
If he is eventually acquitted, he will not get his items back, he will not get his money back, he will not get his reputation back, he will not get his nights in custody back, he will not get his previous good relationships back, he will not get his business back, or his lost income back.
How is this just? This is not just, it is totally unfair.
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