Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Dirty Hippie News Network


Backpackers streak past police 

streaking backpackers
Streakers ... backpackers Esben Hansen, Senda Prieto and Luke McRae outside Roma Street Police HQ / Annette Dew Picture:
Backpackers who streaked past police headquarters have been dealt with in a day while five police are still waiting to learn their fate for a similar stunt last September.
The four tourists from Perth, Denmark and Spain were in "high spirits" after a friend's going away party, when they decided to photograph each other nude on the sign outside Police HQ in Roma Street Monday night, the Courier Mailreported.
Their stunt was witnessed by two officers in an unmarked police car who went to question the tourists.
Luke McRae said the police demanded they delete the pictures on their digital cameras and charged them with public nuisance.
"We didn't try to run away. We pulled the pants back up and we were like 'it must be a rule not to get nude'," Mr McRae said.
They appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday where they were released with no penalty and no conviction recorded.
"The magistrate seemed to understand we were just being a bit exuberant," said Mr McRae.
"We were very apologetic for wasting everybody's time."
He said they were all relieved not to have been fined but were disappointed the incident took up almost their whole day.
"Maybe they could've dealt with it on the spot," Mr McRae said.
He was stunned to hear of the police officers' predicament - six months after they were reported for running naked around an unmarked police bus during a bucks' party on Brisbane's southside.
The five officers remain stood down and stripped of their badges, while they wait to hear the outcome of an Ethical Standards Command investigation overseen by the Crime and Misconduct Commission.
Last month, police said the investigation had been complicated by a range of issues, including whether or not sufficient evidence exists to prosecute the officers for public nuisance-type offences.
"The investigation is nearing completion," said a Queensland Police Service spokesperson in February.
Mr McRae said in his three years of travelling, he had never been charged with public nuisance in any of the 27 countries he had visited - despite "getting nude" in many of them.
"The way I look at it, it's not offending anyone. You don't want to offend anyone," he said.
"We were more doing it to get some funny photos."

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