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NEWS > 16 November 2006

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We had it coming. The meagre wages received by the Police make them discontent and prone to corruption. Listening to a radio call-in programme yesterday, caller after caller berated the police for corruption. The callers accuse the Police of being involved in a cattle theft scam.

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 Article sourced from

NEWS.com.au - Australia
16 November 2006
This article appeared in the above title/site.
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Inquiry into family's police a

NEW South Wales police say they have begun an internal investigation into their failure to prevent a Sydney gang terrorising a farming family in the state's central west.

The Nam family, who lived on a property near Wellington, were subjected to attacks in 2004 that led to the shooting death of notorious standover man Michael "No Thumbs" Pestano and the wounding of two members of his gang.

Tim Nam, 29, spent two years in jail for Pestano's killing before his release last month after a Supreme Court judge found he and his family had been virtually abandoned by local police.

Justice Michael Adams said Nam had been acting in self-defence when he shot the "eviction specialist" Pestano during attempts to force the Nams off the property they were renting.

He said he was "astounded" police had failed to protect the family during two terrifying nights of attacks, fires, threats and general harassment.

A police spokesman said today an internal investigation into the matter was being led by Inspector Brad Byrnes, for the Professional Standards Command Western Region.

He said the inquiry would question officers who were involved in the incidents leading up to the shootings and would take several weeks to complete.

Detective Inspector Terry Nash, from the Western Region, declined to outline details of the inquiry.

"An internal investigation is under way by the Western Region Command managed by the Professional Standards Command Western Region," Det Insp Nash said.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further."

Tim Nam's father, Laurie Nam, who was imprisoned for four months after the shootings before being released without charge, said today he had been questioned by Inspector Byrnes about the 2004 incident.

"They were just here to investigate how police acted in those two days," he said.

"I bluntly told them: 'The police didn't want to be there, they didn't want to help'."

The Nams are seeking compensation from the state Government for the alleged failure of police to protect them.

They are also claiming damages after Tim allegedly contracted hepatitis C from a needle-stick attack in jail.

Tim Nam is now at an undisclosed location north of Sydney after death threats were allegedly made against him by one of the Pestano gang.

The Nams are incensed that the Pestano family has received $50,000 from the Victim's Compensation Tribunal, despite Michael Pestano's son Jason being one of the gang that had threatened them.

"We're going the state for failing to protect Tim in jail. He picked up Hep C from a needle-stick attack," Laurie Nam said.

"We're going the police for locking up (his wife) Margaret after the shooting and for not protecting us.

"We're going the property owners for hiring Pestano to kick us off our farm. There's a whole lot of things we're going to look at.

"We've had our lives destroyed and no one wants to know about us.

"The Police Integrity Commission said the police ombudsman is now handling our case.

"They said: 'I advise that the commission is taking no further action in this matter'.

"We're getting stuffed around by everybody; no one wants to know about it.

"When I was in jail, someone approached me and said that Pestano was going to kill us.

"Why haven't these people been charged?"

 

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