A CURRENT AFFAIR is the latest national media outlet featuring, and some say overdramatising, Byron Bay’s drug problem.
In a story about four police officers belting the living Christ out of a naked 16-year-old male, the 9News program’s host Tracy Grimshaw led into the program with predictable “playground of the rich and famous” and “in the middle of a drug crisis” comments.
A two-minute video was submitted to A Current Affair by a Byron Bay witness to the bashings.
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In the video a young man is heard to scream “PLEASE HELP” a number of times, while other male voices are heard to say “You f*cking loser!” and also “C*nt, give me your hand.”
A doctor interviewed claims he observed in excess of 20 baton strikes levelled onto the male who was laying naked on the ground.
“The force being used seemed way out of line.”
Too nervous to appear on camera, the eyewitnesses say they wanted the video shown to expose what they believe to be unnecessary force.
“No-one doubts the police have a tough job but this is too much,” one eyewitness said.
Previous stories about drugs in Byron were printed by News Ltd’s The Daily Telegraph and The Courier Mail.
These stories are a bit like a headline which screams “GOLD COAST ERUPTS IN PUB FIGHTS” after there was a pub fight in Coolangatta, another one in Southport, and one more in Nerang.
Easy to criticise when you are standing back watching. These people can be quite crazy.