From:   SSAA, [EMAIL PROTECTED]

The Courier Mail - QLD
Jeweller fears charges over killing
Ben Dorries, Gold Coast bureau
29jul00

A SHOPKEEPER who shot dead an armed robber says his life has been left
in limbo by police, with the threat of criminal charges still hanging
over his head.

Gold Coast jeweller Paul Visentin, who shot and killed a balaclava-clad
bandit in a raid on his store in May, says the wait to see if he will be
charged has been as traumatic as the incident itself.

Mr Visentin told The Courier-Mail yesterday:

Police had given him "not the slightest indication" if he would face
charges in relation to the shooting. He had closed his business's
Internet website because his wife Maxine was heavily traumatised.
He was considering pursuing criminal compensation through the courts.
He had suffered pangs of depression and had not slept properly since
the incident.

Mr Visentin shot dead would-be thief Peter Anthony Knox after three
men allegedly burst into his Old Town Nerang Antique Store with
guns blazing on May 24.

'I already have to live with the knowledge that I've killed another
human being' He said his life was now like a "time bomb" as he
waited to see if he would face charges.

"The incident is now eight weeks ago and I've been left in limbo
pondering if I'm going to be charged," Mr Visentin said.

"I've had nothing in writing from anyone in any official capacity . . .
and no-one in the world of officialdom has even asked how I'm
coping.

"I can't get on with my life and I don't know which way to move.

"I already have to live with the knowledge that I've killed another
human being."

Detective Inspector Len Potts said it was now probable the matter would
be decided by an inquest.

"It is likely it will be referred to a coroner," Insp Potts said. "We
will make a decision in the near future."

Police have charged a man in connection with the incident, but Insp
Potts said police were still seeking another man.

Opposition Leader Rob Borbidge said that on the information available,
the delay in informing Mr Visentin was "unacceptable and inexcusable".

"On the information available, it is a disgrace that Mr Visentin has
been put through so much trauma by law-breakers and has been put through
further trauma by the state's law enforcement authorities," Mr Borbidge
said.

The day after the incident, Mr Visentin wept as he told how he would
walk away from his popular store to trade from the safety of the business's
website.

Yesterday, he said the website had been effectively closed and the
business was no longer trading from it.

"The only computer-literate person here now is my wife . . . the
reality is she is so traumatised she can't talk to people and she
can't go near the computer because it reminds her (of the incident),"
he said.

"Had she been sitting at the computer that day she would have been
riddled with bullets."

Mr Visentin said he had "found out by accident" he could seek criminal
compensation.


Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org

List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
___________________________________________________________
T O P I C A  The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics

Reply via email to