A serving NSW Police officer has been cleared of assaulting a man at the Towradgi Beach Hotel last year after a magistrate accepted he had acted in “self defence”.
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The court heard Senior Constable Glen Murtezani, who lives in Wollongong but is attached to Mascot local area command, was drinking and playing pokies at the hotel while off-duty on the evening of March 6 when he became involved in an altercation between two men.
Mr Murtezai twice punched one of the men in the face, believing he was the target of the man’s aggression.
In delivering a not guilty verdict to a common assault charge in court on Friday, Magistrate Susan McGowan said Mr Murtezani’s actions were reasonable for a person who believed he was about to be hit himself.
She also found the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Murtezani had not acted in self defence.
The court heard Mr Murtezani had been involved in a serious hostage incident as a probationary constable in 2009 had left him experiencing nightmares, flashbacks and insomnia.
He said he turned to alcohol and gambling to cope, leading to the breakdown of a relationship.
A week before the pub incident, he had been punched on a night out after coming to the defence of a female friend who was being indecently assaulted.
He said that assault reignited his stress symptoms.
Outside court, Mr Murtezani’s lawyer, Danny Eid, said his client was pleased with the outcome but called for more help for police officers suffering from mental health conditions as a result of their work.
“This is a reminder that so many hard working police officer suffer [from post-traumatic stress disorder] in silence,” he said.
“It’s about time the police heirachy started looking after these officers.
“Glen has had a history of very difficult experiences in the force – to suggest that PTSD is part and parcel of the job is not good enough.”
Mr Eid said Mr Murtezani was undergoing treatment for his illness.
He confirmed Mur Murtezani was still an employee of the NSW Police Force but couldn’t say what his current status was.