To kill a (protected species) bird
A Victorian policeman is under investigation on several charges arising from the fact that earlier this year he shot dead a swooping magpie, while off duty, in his own home. Apparently he nailed the avian aggressor right through the abdomen while it was on the wing: forget about prosecuting him, anyone who can do that deserves a marksmanship medal. Perhaps he should have used capsicum spray and called for a negotiator instead.
Update: In a searing expose that brings back memories of the legendary 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' series that scooped several Walkleys, the Age today runs an x-ray of the dead magpie (print version only), and quotes a vet's autopsy report: "She found bullet fragments in the heart, the base of a rib and the left thigh muscle." We are yet to learn whether the magpie was affected by drugs, or was receiving treatment for a mental illness. Did they do a chalk outline of the body-drop spot?
Even wackier, the Age report quotes someone who was at the policeman's home at the time, but "who cannot be named for legal reasons".
Further update: greetings to visitors from Tim Blair's site. Presumably that unnameable witness was an undercover agent from The Birdwatchers' Society, or a stool pigeon. The police officer, upon conviction, has been fined $2000, and barred from carrying a firearm while off-duty. The magistrate condemned him thus:
"It's all the worse where the person discharging the firearm is a member of the police force, who ought to have understood that this is an inappropriate activity."
I must differ with the magistrate: I'm not crazy about people discharging firearms in suburban backyards, but if anyone's going to do it, I want it to be someone trained in their use.
A Victorian policeman is under investigation on several charges arising from the fact that earlier this year he shot dead a swooping magpie, while off duty, in his own home. Apparently he nailed the avian aggressor right through the abdomen while it was on the wing: forget about prosecuting him, anyone who can do that deserves a marksmanship medal. Perhaps he should have used capsicum spray and called for a negotiator instead.
Update: In a searing expose that brings back memories of the legendary 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' series that scooped several Walkleys, the Age today runs an x-ray of the dead magpie (print version only), and quotes a vet's autopsy report: "She found bullet fragments in the heart, the base of a rib and the left thigh muscle." We are yet to learn whether the magpie was affected by drugs, or was receiving treatment for a mental illness. Did they do a chalk outline of the body-drop spot?
Even wackier, the Age report quotes someone who was at the policeman's home at the time, but "who cannot be named for legal reasons".
Further update: greetings to visitors from Tim Blair's site. Presumably that unnameable witness was an undercover agent from The Birdwatchers' Society, or a stool pigeon. The police officer, upon conviction, has been fined $2000, and barred from carrying a firearm while off-duty. The magistrate condemned him thus:
"It's all the worse where the person discharging the firearm is a member of the police force, who ought to have understood that this is an inappropriate activity."
I must differ with the magistrate: I'm not crazy about people discharging firearms in suburban backyards, but if anyone's going to do it, I want it to be someone trained in their use.
posted by cuckoo at
11:21 AM
2 Comments:
What not trace DNA, no fingerprints, no retinal scans? I feel seriously let down.
By
Pat Patterson, at 5:41 AM
The policeman cannot be named because it may identify the magpie.
By
MarkHenryC, at 5:47 PM
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