Murray Henderson had an extraordinary 'meltdown' a few days ago in response to a simple request that he hand over some Police Disclosure which had been faxed to the Law Centre by the Police for a defendant to collect.The following are true copies of two documents which were signed, witnessed and sworn and submitted to Police and the Community Law Centre administrative committee as formal complaints following further corrupt bullying from the manager of the Masterton Community Law Centre, an ex Police officer named Murray Henderson.
Here is a copy of the signed, sworn statement of Angus James Lennox Lindsay, the defendant refered to:
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Angus James Lennox Lindsay, of 59 Trelissick Crescent Ngaio. My date of birth is 14.3.60.
I hereby swear that:
1. I made an arrangement today with the Wellington Police Prosecutor’s office which involved the Police faxing disclosure of documents regarding the Court case I am involved in to the Wairarapa Community Law Centre in Masterton for me to uplift from there.
2. I went into the Wairarapa Community Law Centre today to collect the documents and obtain other information, with my drivers license for identification, as arranged with the Police and the Law Centre beforehand.
3. I explained my request to the receptionist and sat and waited as she requested me to.
4. The manager of the Wairarapa Community Law Centre, Murray Henderson, then came and stood over me while I sat in the chair, jabbing his finger in my face. He was rude, intimidating and abusive to me in response to my request, he demanded to know details of my involvement with Katherine Raue, and refused to hand over my documents.
5. His manner was bullying, obstructive, angry and unreasonable.
6. After 25 minutes, Kate Raue came into the Law Centre. She walked through the front door and over to the wall facing the door and looked at the pamphlets there.
7. Murray Henderson continued to question me about my business and Katherine Raue’s business, and intimidate me until I called out “Hi Kate” to Katherine Raue, and he turned around and realised it was her who was looking at the pamphlets.
8. He then began to question and bully her instead of me, asking her “Who do you think you are, advocating for people?” “How dare you make arrangements to have those documents faxed here without my permission?” “What has his business got to do with you?” (indicating myself), etc.
9. Kate said that she had just come in to collect a pamphlet regarding the Ombudsmen’s office, not to discuss my affairs. She referred to me as Mr Lindsay, and under continued questioning and bullying from Mr Henderson she said that as she understood it “Mr Lindsay has made an arrangement with the Wellington police prosecution section to have his documents faxed here for him to collect,” and apart from helping him to write the letter, and driving him to the Law Centre, Mr Lindsay’s business was nothing to do with her which was why it was inappropriate for Mr Henderson to be discussing it with her, and that she had only come in to get a copy of the pamphlet regarding the Ombudsmen’s office, and asked him if he could give her the pamphlet because it did not appear to be included in the myriad of pamphlets available on display.
10. Mr Henderson became extremely angry and intimidating, demanding she sit down and answer his questions regarding the matter of my information. Katherine Raue sat down as ordered by Mr Henderson, she remained calm, polite and pleasant while Mr Henderson displayed rude and aggressive behaviour bordering on hysteria.
11. He continued to rant and rave and went and got a piece of paper and wrote on it, then he came back and thrust the paper into Mrs Raue’s lap saying “This is all you’re going to get from me, now get out and take your mate with you because I am calling the police.”
12. I began to protest at this outrageous and unjust treatment, and ask for my documents, but Kate gently took my arm and steered me out the door. I looked at the paper, it was a trespass notice. We then went to the Masterton police station where we spoke to Sergeant Rix.
13. He basically refused to do anything about Mr Henderson’s refusal to hand over my documents, and instead arranged for the Wellington police to fax them again, this time to the Masterton police station.
14. I said that I was not satisfied with this arrangement because for one thing it was a serious breach of Mr Henderson’s duties and a serious abuse of his position, and for another thing, the documents had been sent there for me to collect and were now in the unauthorised possession of Mr Henderson, and I wanted them handed over immediately. I was becoming very upset and so was Mrs Raue. Mrs Raue and I had to waste over three hours because of Mr Henderson’s outrageous behaviour.
15. Sgt Rix said that Kate Raue would be arrested if she returned to the Law Centre because of the trespass notice, and that I should not go there either or I might be issued with a trespass notice too.
16. Katherine Raue told Sgt Rix that Mr Henderson’s behaviour was an attempt to pervert the course of justice and that he had no right to possession of my documents, and if the police tried to arrest me for attempting to collect them as arranged it would be further perverting the course of justice and we would complain to the police complaints authority.
17. Mrs Raue told Sgt Rix that I intended to return to the Law Centre immediately and collect the documents I was entitled to while Mrs Raue waited in the foyer of the police station, and that if I did not return with them in ten minutes she and I would lay formal complaints of theft and threatening behaviour against Murray Henderson.
18. She asked Sgt Rix to ring Mr Henderson immediately and make sure that he understood that he was not entitled to possession of my documents, he was withholding them unlawfully, and he was to hand them to me immediately.
19. I then returned to the Law Centre to collect my documents. Murray Henderson gave me the attached page and ordered me to sign it. I refused to sign it as it contained an incorrect statement.
20. The documents were faxed to the Law Centre at my request not at the request of Katherine Raue, as Mrs Raue and I had already told him repeatedly.
21. Mr Henderson refused to amend the document and again refused to give me my documents.
22. I told him to give me my documents or I would call the police and charge him with theft and perverting the course of justice.
23. He eventually handed my documents over and then I returned to the police station to collect Mrs Raue.
24. I wish to make a formal complaint against Murray Henderson regarding this matter, and hereby authorise Katherine Raue to act as my agent regarding this formal complaint.
Signed: _______________________
Angus James Lennox Lindsay 17 May 2007
__________________________________________________
And here is a copy of the second signed sworn document handed to Police and Mr Southey of the Law Centre administrative committee:
Moreton Road
R D 2
Carterton
17 May 2007
To Whom It May Concern:Mr Angus James Lennox Lindsay and I wish to lodge a formal complaint regarding the ‘service’ received at the Wairarapa Community Law Centre today, from Murray Henderson the manager.
Mr Lindsay approached me for some assistance with obtaining information from the Police disclosed with regard to some charges Mr Lindsay is facing in Court. Evidently he has appeared twice already and is expected to plead at his next appearance in about two weeks time, but he has not seen a summary of facts or anything, and cannot find the summons.
Mr Lindsay does not have a solicitor acting for him as yet, he is concerned at the potential cost of legal representation and he says he is unsure of the exact nature of the charges. Mr Lindsay has an illness which affects his ability to communicate with people sometimes, which he finds stressful, which can sometimes exacerbate this condition. Mr Lindsay asked me to help him write a letter to the Prosecution Section of the Wellington Police requesting that information such as that normally disclosed and a copy of the summons be provided to him, that letter is attached “A”.
We rang the Prosecution Section to confirm that they had received the fax, they were very helpful and co-operative and agreed to fax the material to the Wairarapa Community Law Centre according to Mr Lindsay’s request, and promptly did so, on the understanding that Mr Lindsay would collect it from the Community Law Centre, producing his drivers license as confirmation of his identity.
Out of courtesy I rang the Wairarapa Community Law Centre for Mr Lindsay as asked, to advise them of this arrangement. By the time I got through to their phone the fax from the police had already arrived. I recognised the voice of Murray Henderson, who has been obstructive and unco-operative to me in the past regarding other matters. He had seen my name on the letter from Mr Lindsay to the Wellington Police and immediately started asking questions about what Mr Lindsay’s business had to do with me, so I said it had nothing to do with me except that Mr Lindsay had asked me to call and advise the Wairarapa Community Law Centre of the arrangement out of courtesty, and that he was on his way to collect the documents.
I was extremely courteous and polite to Mr Henderson, who then said that he would not be providing the material to Mr Lindsay, and when I asked him why not, he said “Because I’m sick of you giving people legal advice.” I said that I don’t and I never have, I just help them to access information, and facilitate communication to empower them to make up their own minds about things, and help themselves using public resources.
Mr Henderson reiterated that “We won’t be giving Mr Lindsay his documents.” I asked why, Mr Henderson said “Because I’m sick of you using the Law Centre like this.” I said “Like what?” He replied “If you come in here I’ll give you a trespass notice.”
Mr Lindsay went alone to the Wairarapa Community Law Centre to collect the material, and produced his license and asked politely for the documents. Mr Henderson refused to give them to him, told him to sit down, and began questioning Mr Lindsay about who was representing him in Court, what my role in the matter was (“You tell me what this has got to do with Kate Raue” being one of several such comments we both heard), why Mr Lindsay wanted the disclosure material, why he didn’t have a lawyer, why he hadn’t made other arrangements regarding the disclosure (because Mr Lindsay wished to collect the information from the Law Centre so that he could collect or access other legal information regarding the charges from the same place), why Mr Lindsay hadn’t asked Mr Henderson’s permission before making arrangements with the Wellington Police, etc, etc. He demanded Mr Lindsay sit down (Mr Lindsay is rather imposing and Mr Henderson isn’t) then stood over him jabbing at him with his finger and interrogating him in a bullying, intimidating manner.
After I had done a few errands and Mr Lindsay had still not returned from the Community Law Centre 25 minutes later, I went into the Centre to collect some information regarding the Ombudsmen’s office.
Mr Lindsay was sitting in a chair with Mr Henderson standing over him, jabbing at him with his finger in an intimidating manner, shouting at him and asking him a whole lot of questions that I thought were none of his business, such as “You tell me what Kate Raue said to you!” I ignored this and began looking at the display of pamphlets. Mr Henderson had his back to the door and did not immediately see that I had walked in the door, until Mr Lindsay called out “Hi Kate” after a few more questions of this bullying interrogation from Mr Henderson.
Mr Henderson then turned on me with his jabbing finger and cross-examinations, demanding that I sit sown and answer similar questions to those he had apparently been asking Mr Lindsay for over 25 minutes.
I explained that I understood Mr Lindsay had come in to pick up some documents, faxed to the Law Centre by the Wellington Police, and that it really had nothing to do with me apart from helping to facilitate communication between Mr Lindsay and the Wellington Police by helping him type the letter, and that I had just come in to pick up some information regarding the Office of the Ombudsmen.
I offered to help facilitate communication between Mr Lindsay and the Community Law Centre if there was a problem, but it was quite clear, it was a simple straightforward matter of just giving Mr Lindsay his documents without harassing him any longer, as he was becoming quite upset and frustrated at this grossly unfair treatment, which had been going on for quite a long time by now and was completely unnecessary.
Mr Henderson served me with a trespass notice instead of providing me with the pamphlet about the Ombudsmen which I went into the Centre to get, and I would like the notice revoked please as it seriously limits my access to vital community resources. The notice is completely unwarranted, there has never been anything whatsoever wrong with my behaviour or manner when I have gone to the Wairarapa Community Law Centre. Mr Henderson’s attitude to the law, and his role in the administration of the law in the community was demonstrated by a letter he wrote to the editor of the local paper about his dog, which many people found quite disturbing.
When Mr Lindsay and I went to the Masterton Police Station we were told that Mr Henderson had told the Police that he had behaved in such a disgraceful manner because he thought I had told the Police that I worked for the Wairarapa Community Law Centre. This is utter rubbish. I told him the first time he made the accusation to me that I had certainly never said any such thing, it is a figment of his imagination.
Attached “B” is a letter which Mr Henderson tried to force Mr Lindsay to sign when he was finally given the material. I take strong exception to this statement and so does Mr Lindsay, who said so at the time he was forced to sign it in order to obtain his documents. The information was faxed to the Community Law Centre at Mr Lindsay’s request, the letter to the Police makes that quite clear, and Murray Henderson should apologise for this extraordinary letter.
I simply went to get a pamphlet about the Ombudsmen, Mr Lindsay went to pick up his papers, it is absolutely outrageous that we had to waste all afternoon because of Mr Henderson’s spiteful petty attitude and we would both like an apology as soon as possible and an urgent review of this matter and the tenure of Mr Henderson’s appointment.
Yours sincerely
Katherine Raue __________________
I have read the above account of the facts and swear this is a true and correct account of what happened.
Angus Lindsay _____________________
