Saw recently that the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions wants more funding for his office (Canberra Times Tuesday, 18 October). But the office continues to waste its time on the farcical prosecution of a whistleblower.
This bloke is due to be tried in the Supreme Court in November for the possession of dangerous goods – i.e. big bloody fireworks. He allegedly purchased the prohibited fireworks from a Fyshwick dealer around the Queen’s Birthday weekend in 2004 – the whole incident photographed and reported on the front page of the Canberra Times. Once the CT had photographed the fireworks, he took the goods directly to ACT Workcover to hand them in and report the incident.
He is reported to have carried out the sting in an attempt to expose the illegal sale of prohibited fireworks out of his concern for the harm they caused to domestic and native animals – especially dogs.
For his trouble, he now faces up to seven years in gaol or a $200,000 fine.
In a letter published in the CT on September 27, a prominent ACT barrister highlighted the wasting of the ACT Supreme Court’s time – surely there can be no better example than this case.
The DPP would make better use of its (limited?) funds by prosecuting the dealer who allegedly sold the banned fireworks – and quite possibly to many customers.
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