Police Shooting In Tasmania 'Lawful And Justified'

Tasmania Police (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Tasmania Police Professional Standards investigation into a non-fatal shooting at Beechford in March last year has cleared the male officer who fired the shot - saying his actions were both lawful and justified.

According to police, Daniel Sowden, who was armed with a knife and a builder's gun, was shot by the officer when he arrived at a Beechford property in the early hours of March 14 last year. When police were called, Sowden threatened them with a knife. Sowden, of Westbury, later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was jailed for 12 months.

Deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard said officers attempted to negotiate with Sowden for almost an hour.

"In that time, Mr Sowden spat at police, threatened he had a gun, menaced police with the knife and endeavoured to incite police into shooting him by threatening them and lunging at officers with his knife," Mr Tilyard said.

Sowden was shot in the stomach by an officer after he advanced on him with the knife and ignored warnings not to come closer, Mr Tilyard said.

"The officer had retreated until he was against a high fence; he fired a signle shot at Mr Sowden as he advanced to within two to three metres. "Police had an obligation to contain Mr Sowden due to the threat he presented to residents in the area.

"It is clear the officer believed Mr Sowden was intent on stabbing him and he acted in self defense."

Mr Tilyard said that he wanted to acknowledge the judgement, sound decision making and professionalism displayed by the officers in dealing with a "high-risk incident" over a protracted period.

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Tasmanian iPad Gamer Beats Tourette's

By launching a game for the iPad, Tasmanian Tourette's sufferer Paul Wilkinson has done what he thought the disease would never allow him to.

In September 2010, Mr Wilkinson had electrodes inserted into his brain to control the debilitating and potentially dangerous tics that Tourette's triggered.

Since the treatment, the 29-year-old has started Subspark Entertainment, which launched its first game on Apple's App Store in March.

AstroPlasma is a digital version of air-hockey that gives the player a first-person, rather than top-down view, of proceedings.

"This game is the first to utilise so many of the iPad's features and it truly redefines our genre," Mr Wilkinson said.

"Multiplayer allows people across the world to challenge one another."

The game took nine people six months to make and since its launch it has received five-star ratings in Australian, American and Polish App Stores.

Mr Wilkinson said Tasmania was a great place to do business and

hopes to establish a full studio in Hobart.

He has co-ordinated with staff in and out of the state to create the game.

He said the only challenge was to find people with the right expertise in Tasmania and he hoped to work with the education facilities in Tasmania to tailor a course to suit.

"There isn't a fully integrated course to produce the kinds of skill needed," he said.



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Liberals To Block Forestry Tasmania Funds

THE Liberal Party will refuse to authorise a "blank cheque'' for Forestry Tasmania in a move designed to drive a wedge between minority government partners Labor and the Greens.

The Liberals will this week try to amend the 2012-13 budget to block the $35 million set aside for the struggling government business.

The state government has described the money as a contingency fund which may or may not be needed depending on the outcome of a strategic review of Forestry Tasmania.

Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said he would not support the allocation without knowing exactly what it was for. "Why can the Premier get away with being so deceptive when it comes to such a significant amount of money?'' Mr Hodgman said yesterday.

He suspected the fund was a "back door method'' of shutting down Forestry Tasmania, as the Greens want. "This is a very clear attempt by us to get some honesty in the debate and also to find out exactly where both parties stand on that issue.''

The Greens quickly ruled out supporting the Opposition's amendment.

Lyons Greens MHA Tim Morris said it was irresponsible to suggest altering or blocking supply which would put teachers, nurses and police officers' wages in jeopardy.

Mr Morris said the money was not a hand out to Forestry Tasmania. "Until we see the URS report and what's recommended then we won't know how much of a hole there is in Forestry Tasmania and given the changes that almost certainly will need to be made, as to whether there's going to be public funds required,'' Mr Morris said.

Deputy Premier Bryan Green said the stunt showed the Liberal party was more interested in promoting division than supporting Forestry Tasmania. Mr Green said the contingency fund would help the organisation survive the market downturn. "It's about supporting Forestry Tasmania and its workers, not shutting them down,'' Mr Green said.

Mr Green said the government had not yet received the final report into Forestry Tasmania from URS. "We expect to receive this report in the near future, and we have committed to releasing it publicly, along with our response,'' he said.

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Former Greens Senator Bob Brown Tells of Hendrix Death

Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown has sought to clarify, once and for all, his role in the death of rock legend Jimi Hendrix in London in September 1970.

He was then a resident doctor at St Mary Abbot's hospital when Hendrix's body was brought in, he told the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday.

"He had been dead for some hours," Senator Brown said.

"He'd had a bit too much to drink and whatever else and had inhaled vomitus."

He said another Australian doctor signed the musician's death certificate while he

went off to look after a patient who'd fallen under a train but was still alive.

Senator Brown said his resignation from the Senate would take effect from June 15.

A joint sitting of the Tasmanian Parliament then will decide whether to endorse Greens candidate Peter Whish-Wilson to fill the Senate casual vacancy.

Senator Brown said if all went to plan, he expected Mr Whish-Wilson to take his Senate seat on June 21.

The outgoing federal Greens leader said he would be setting up a foundation to foster environmental causes and was in the process of writing two books.

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Savings From Tasmanian Health Moves

The state government says its decision to stop searching for a new Mental Health boss will save taxpayers money.

The Examiner revealed yesterday that the Health Department dumped its search to replace John Crawshaw, who resigned as chief executive of Statewide and Mental Health Services in October last year. Advertisements were printed for a new chief executive, but Department of Health and Human Services deputy secretary Alice Burchill confirmed at the weekend that the recruitment process had since been abandoned.

She repeated yesterday that the decision had been made in light of national health reforms, which were signed up to in August and begin on July 1.

"Statewide and Mental Health Services will progressively transition during 2012-13 to the new Tasmanian Health Organisations,'' Ms Burchill said.

"As stated previously, because of this significant and fundamental structural change, the recruitment process . . . has ceased to allow the structural changes to be finalised before any future leadership decisions are made.

"This is prudent and cost effective for taxpayers and means every available resource can be put towards front-line services.''

She rejected claims from the Health and Community Services Union that the state was hiding behind national reforms, and had failed to adequately inform the sector of changes.

"This (national reform) has been clearly conveyed to staff, unions and the public for many months, and has been communicated through the media,'' Ms Burchill said.

"It is not true to say that it is unclear how THOs will operate post July 1, 2012. In fact, the Tasmanian Parliament passed the Tasmanian Health Organisation Act 2011 on November 24, which clearly sets out the roles and responsibilities of the new THOs. "Reforms are being implemented as per the legislation.''

Nick Goddard will remain acting chief executive.

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More Gun-Related Crimes In Tasmania

Robbery not allowed (Photo credit: Arenamontanus)

Police are under intense pressure at both ends of the state as a series of armed robberies and drive-by shootings leave Tasmania in the grip of a crimewave.

While Hobart recorded four shootings last week and three further gun-related incidents in the past three months, Launceston has been under siege as armed robbers target inner-city, busy businesses armed with deadly weapons.

The North has recorded six high-end armed robberies in the past month.

Two involved a sawn-off shotgun, one offender was carrying what appeared to be a handgun, and two armed robbers used a knife to threaten their victims.

A woman was accosted by a male in a public car park at Scottsdale in the early evening on Thursday as she made her way to her vehicle.

The man was wearing a balaclava and produced a knife and demanded money as she tried to get into her car.

On Friday, the Commonwealth Bank in the busy Newstead shopping precinct was targeted.

Police arrested a 24-year-old Burnie man in Launceston's CBD on Saturday.

He appeared before the Launceston Magistrates Court yesterday.

But the majority of these crimes remain unsolved, leaving residents wondering what will come next.

The Police Association of Tasmania says the explosion in gun crime has "deeply troubled its officers, who face great danger" when attempting to apprehend those responsible.

"This is critically serious," acting president Robbie Dunn said.

"We're seeing threats to people's lives, and serious injuries."

Sergeant Dunn rejected Police Minister David O'Byrne's recent comment that "it's not Underbelly".

"Tasmania's underbelly is armed, it's prepared to use [the weapons], and the rate of shootings and crime is going through the roof," he said.

"But while the under-resourced police service is out there chasing these gun-toting maniacs, we have a government dismissing the issue."