Stiched Up

Quarter to ten in the morning outside Fermantle magistrates court, a man in a dark green double
breasted suit sitting on a bollard nervously drags on a cigarette. Another man, wearing a cheap black
single breasted suit approached him, places his hand on the other mans shoulder and whispers
something to him. The reply from the man sitting is heard by the small crowed gathered, “Yeah, just
wait till my lawyer gets here”.
The man sitting is being charged with Assault occasioning bodily harm, the other man—Detective First
class Paul Robinson of the major incident task force, is one of the prosecution witnesses. Detective
Robinson disappears inside the court building, the defendants Lawyer, Richard Bayly QC, finally
arrives at 2 minuets to ten, “alright, are you ready”, he says to his client. A look of relief comes across
the defendants face as he stands up, “lets get this over with” he says to his lawyer.
It was alleged that in the previous November, the defendant, at Murdoch park and ride, assaulted 64
year old Hans Werner Wocnik, with a pair of scissors. The defendant is pleading not guilty, claiming to
be 'stitched up' by detective Robinson. Today is the trial.
The prosecution produced five witnesses, the complainant; Mr Wocnik, his wife Freda Wocnik,
arresting officer Constable Neil Trethewey, and Mr Wocnik's General practitioner Dr Enzo Almonte.
Mrs Wocnik, gave evidence that she witnessed the defendant “...stab[ed] her husband in the shoulder.”
in the car park of Murdoch park and ride “...near her car...”. She claims to have witnessed this assault
from “inside the bus” as it was traveling over the the south street bridge, approximately 100 meters
away.
Detective Robinson, who says he was off-duty and returning home, claims he witnessed the assault
from one of the nearby bus shelters, “..he stabbed him in the left arm with a pair of scissors... ...once
outside the car”
Mr Wocnik gave a different version of events to the testimony of both Detective Robinson and Mrs
Wocnik. Mr Wocnik claims the defendant “[he] reached thru the [drivers side] window... [and]
...stabbed me in my left arm... ...with a shinny silver object” whilst he was sitting in the drivers sear of
his car, parked near the bus stop. Under cross-examination of Mr Wocnik, the court heard that Mr
Wocnik “...[I] was waring a jacket.” and “...there was no cut or tare on that [the left] side of the
jacket...”
the defendant, who is known to police and has a prior conviction for assault, was found not guilty.