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A policeman rammed a patrol car into a man’s car before he and a colleague lodged a report claiming the other driver deliberately reversed at them, a court has heard.
One of the officers, Brennan Roberts, 26, on Monday pleaded guilty to making a false report on the night of August 22 last year, following a collision between the man’s car and the police vehicle in Hillside.
Roberts must now wait until October 16 to learn if he has an outside chance of retaining his job, depending on whether magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg imposes a conviction in sentencing.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard Roberts and the other officer said in their reports the other driver, Anthony Vittori, had reversed his Honda into the police vehicle, when it was the other officer who had rammed the patrol car into the rear of Mr Vittori’s car.
Prosecutor Peter Pickering said the unnamed officer – who is scheduled to front court in December and is yet to enter a plea –also punched Mr Vittori in the face four to six times moments after turning off a camera mounted on the dashboard of the police vehicle.
Mr Pickering said Roberts and his colleague arrested Mr Vittori for conduct endangering life, had claimed in their reports he had reversed deliberately at the patrol car and failed to disclose to a supervisor the existence of the footage recorded by the dashboard camera.
The camera recorded vision showed the unnamed officer crashing into the back of the Honda, the court heard.
The two officers were also recorded discussing what to tell their supervising officer, the court was told.
The unnamed officer deleted the vision from the camera, Mr Pickering said, but investigators later discovered the files recorded on the officer’s personal computer.
Roberts, a police officer since June, 2010, told a supervisor what really happened four days after the incident, the court heard.
Defence counsel Ashlee Cannon said the incident came at a time when there was instability and distrust at Sunshine police station, where Roberts was based, because of the controversy caused by revelations of racist stubby holders – which mocked African migrants – used by officers at the station.
Roberts pledged in court to give evidence against his co-accused.
Ms Cannon said Roberts was a constable and the junior officer that night and felt pressured and intimidated by his colleague, and wished he had been stronger and shown better judgment.
She said if not for Roberts coming clean to a supervisor, it would have been unlikely the truth of the incident would have ever emerged.
But she conceded her client’s offending was serious given the breach of trust involved.
The court heard the officers followed Mr Vittori because of minor traffic infringements and that he had accidentally reversed his Honda into the police car while reversing into his driveway.
The unnamed officer drove the patrol car at the Honda soon after, the court heard.
Roberts was supported in court by his partner, parents and a large group of supporters.
He and the other officer, a senior constable, are currently suspended from police duties.
This story first appeared in The Age
