Allegations of police brutality and sexual assault against a Whangarei transgender teenager will be screened tonight on TV2's Queer Nation. Justin Peka has lodged a complaint with the Police Complaints Authority alleging a car-load of police officers accused him of a burglary. He says he was attacked by one of them, after which the police then allegedly searched the house of a friend of his, before punching and kicking him again. The teenager says he was beaten again with a police baton at the police station later that night and the programme contains allegations that he was sexually assaulted during a full-body search by the police officers. Whangarei's Northern Advocate newspaper spoke with police about the matter yesterday but inspector Paul Dimery advised that secrecy provisions prevented him from commenting on any matter that was before the Police Complaints Authority. He did not know the full details of the allegations. "I'm not like other people who jump to conclusions. I would keep an open mind on any allegations," he told the newspaper.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 9th April 2003 - 12:00pm