WA:'I'll never carry a Taser again': officer

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2010
WA:'I'll never carry a Taser again': officer

By Josh Jerga

PERTH, Dec 13 AAP - A West Australian officer who tasered Aboriginal man Kevin Spratt
10 times at Perth Watchhouse has told a corruption hearing that given the choice he would
never carry a Taser again.

Sergeant Aaron Strahan was one of the officers who arrested Mr Spratt on August 31
2008 and brought him back to Perth Watchhouse where he was tasered 14 times.

Sgt Strahan told the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) hearing on Monday that when
he and Detective Constable Brett Fowler arrested Mr Spratt he thrashed out and struggled
and was able to knock the two officers down simply by kicking them.

When they got back to Perth Watchhouse Sgt Strahan said he was conscious of how unpredictable
and strong the now 41-year-old was.

"The last thing I wanted on my conscience was one of my officers or Mr Spratt getting
injured because of what he was capable of and underestimating his capability," he said.

"I tried to speak to him on a level he would understand. If he did muck up here, he'd
be in a world of hurt and the lock-up staff wouldn't appreciate it," he said.

Some time later Mr Spratt refused to comply with a strip search, sat on a seat and
braced himself on the arm rests, turning his back on the officers which prompted Sgt Strahan
to take a Taser gun from his holster.

"My concern was if you can anchor yourself and use your anchor combined with a blow
of some kind, you can double your force," he told the hearing.

Taking Sgt Strahan by surprise, his colleague Senior Constable Troy Tomlin tasered
Mr Spratt four times in drive mode which the sergeant said escalated the situation with
the Aboriginal man firing up and going into a "super-charge mode".

When Sgt Strahan saw Mr Spratt grab Snr Const Tomlin's Taser, he deployed the probes
of his gun before using it nine more times in drive mode.

While Mr Spratt was being tasered, up to 10 officers were present with some of them
being junior and inexperienced.

Sgt Strahan said if more senior officers were on duty who could have got involved,
things may have gone differently.

As a result of their actions Sgt Strahan and Snr Const Tomlin faced disciplinary hearings
where they were fined and were found to have used undue force.

Facing the CCC hearing, Sgt Strahan told Commissioner Len Roberts-Smith despite accepting
the findings, he stood by his actions and did not believe his use of force was excessive.

"No officers got injured, Mr Spratt didn't get injured. I know it looks terrible but
I can't be any more honest than that," he said.

He later added that now following the subsequent events, widespread publicity of the
incident and the corruption hearing he feels uncomfortable carrying what he called a "flawed
weapon".

"Given the choice I'll never carry a Taser again. If I'm instructed to carry a Taser,
I'll carry a Taser," he said.

The CCC is inquiring into whether any members of WA Police or the Department of Corrective
Services engaged in misconduct during Mr Spratt's repeated tasering while in custody.

The hearing continues.

AAP jsj/nb

KEYWORD: SPRATT WRAP

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