Family 'disgusted' as police attackers acquitted

Cut and Paste from the ninemsn news site.

12:30 AEST Fri Mar 13 2009
By ninemsn staff

The family of a police officer left partially paralysed after a violent fight is "disgusted" after his attackers were acquitted of assault by a Perth jury.

Constable Matthew Butcher suffered brain damage from the fight, which left one side of his body paralysed and damaged his eyesight, the West Australian newspaper reports.

Defendants Robert McLeod, 56, and his two sons Barry and Scott James McLeod, 29 and 35, were found not guilty on eight charges after the fight at the Old Bailey Tavern at Joodalup in February last year.

Butcher was one of three police officers called to calm down a fight between the McLeods and a group of painters who had also been drinking at the Tavern.

The McLeod's defence team successfully argued that the family members acted in self defence when confronted by the police outside the pub, telling the court the police officers used excessive force in their attempts to arrest the men.

Graphic video of the fight was released after the acquittal. It shows Barry McLeod perform a "flying head butt" on 33-year-old Constable Butcher after the officer his Taser gun on the 29-year-old's father.

The acquittal has prompted angry responses across the state. Even Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Perth radio he was shocked by the verdict when he read about it this morning.

"I had to read this article twice and I'm stunned by it all," Mr Rudd told 6PR.

"Our police, including here in WA, put themselves in the frontline every day in very difficult and dangerous circumstances, most of which are never reported — I think it's high time the community just absolutely got behind the police in everything they do."

Outside the court Constable Butcher's wife Katrina said she was "utterly disgusted" at the jury's decision, while his mother said police should not attend incidents in the future.

"Next time, let the animals fight each other," Gail Butcher said.

Scott McLeod was found guilty on the charge of threatening to kill a patron of the pub, who filmed the fight with police officers, and will be sentenced later today.