Cop accused of beating up tourists

03/Jul/2009

Courier Mail

Comments:

A FORMER Queensland police officer is accused of bashing three tourists while allegedly yelling: "This is my town."

Senior constable Benjamin Thomas Price, 32, kicked and punched bleeding and handcuffed tourist Timothy Steele in Airlie Beach before jamming a fire hose into his mouth, reports the Courier Mail.

The Proserpine Magistrate's Court heard during the prolonged assault outside Airlie Beach police station in May last year, the uniformed officer bashed his victim beyond recognition.

"He kept saying: `This is my town. Who do you think you are?'" witness Nigel Gluszek told the court.

Mr Price, now employed to remove coconuts from trees, faced court for committal on six counts of assault on three holidaymakers – two men and a woman.

Mr Price resigned from the police force last year before he was formally charged over the alleged offences. Four other officers have quit the service since the investigation.

Click here to read the full story