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Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: average joe who wrote (13476)	10/7/2009 4:37:52 AM
From: Proud Deplorable	2 Recommendations Respond to of 37166

Lawyer alleges conspiracy at B. C. Taser probe Dziekanski Inquiry; RCMP fabricated 'version of events,' lawyer says Brian Hutchinson, National Post Published: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Don Rosenbloom was one hour into his closing submission at the Braidwood inquiry yesterday when he lowered the boom, hard. The four RCMP officers who confronted Polish traveller Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in 2007 had conspired, in a "self-serving collaboration," to "fabricate an untruthful version of events," the lawyer alleged. They covered up and lied, claimed Mr. Rosenbloom, appearing at the inquiry for the Government of the Republic of Poland. The four officers "misled" homicide investigators following the incident, he continued. They created an "almost identical and fictional account" of their ill-fated interaction with Mr. Dziekanski, who died during the encounter. They "lied under oath" at this inquiry, claimed Mr. Rosenbloom, in "an intentional act to subvert the course of justice." Police conspiracy. Perjury. These are the boldest allegations heard to date at the inquiry called to examine events that led to Mr. Dziekanski's death. Mr. Rosenbloom wasn't finished. He asked inquiry commissioner Thomas Braidwood to make findings of misconduct against all four officers, plus three other RCMP officers who, he alleged, either suppressed information about the airport fatality or "deliberately or negligently disseminated false information" about the event to media. A 40-year-old Pole, Mr. Dziekanski landed in Vancouver on Oct. 14, 2007. Perhaps frustrated by an inability to communicate with airport workers and border officials, some of whom displayed indifference, and angry after a shouting match with an airport limo driver, Mr. Dziekanski caused a disturbance at an airport arrivals area. The four RCMP officers were called; within seconds, an officer deployed a Taser at Mr. Dziekanski, hitting him once with an electrical charge. He was wrestled with on the ground and was shocked four more times with the Taser. His hands were cuffed behind his back and he soon died. Mr. Rosenbloom alleged the four officers displayed a "reckless disregard for the care and safety of Mr. Dziekanski" by not providing him with proper medical assistance at the scene. The lawyer also called into question a closing submission made to the inquiry by the Government of Canada, on behalf of the RCMP. It suggested that Constable Kwesi Millington, the officer who deployed the Taser on Mr. Dziekanski multiple times, acted with justification because his target had "remained upright, moving away from the officers" after being struck the first time. "I challenge that," Mr. Rosenbloom said. He referred to a videotape of the incident, made by airport passerby Paul Pritchard. Mr. Rosenbloom said the video evidence showed Mr. Dziekanski "was in the process of a free fall" after the first Taser deployment. There was no reason to jolt him once, let alone four more times, he said. Lawyers for the Government of Canada chose not to deliver their closing submissions orally; they provided only written submissions that are available for viewing at the Braidwood Inquiry website along with other closing submissions ( www.braidwoodinquiry.ca).Lawyers for two of the four RCMP officers delivered their closing submissions yesterday. Read more: nationalpost.com