Harus diakui bahwa polisi dibanyak negara Barat, tidak hanya Australia, bisa
dikatakan ada yang rasis, walau tidak semuanya.
Dalam kasus ini rupanya sang wanita yasng mengenakan 'hijab' (bukan burka)
sudah menuduh seorang Polisi Jalan Raya telah berusaha merenggut 'hijab'-nya.
Ini dilaporkan melalui suatu pernyataan yang ditandatangani ('Statutory
Declaration') yang nilainya kuat secara hukum.
Rupanya sang wanita berhijab ini tidak tahu bahwa semua adegan direkam lewat
kamera dari dalam mobil polisi. Terlihat dalam tayangan bahwa sang wanita masih
mengenakan hijabnya dan hanya menjadi sewot setelah sang polisi memberi tilang
karena pelat P hijaunya tidak terpasang secara benar. Harus diakui ini suatu
kesalahan ringan, tapi itu adalah hak sang polisi untuk memberi tilang atau
tidak. Yang agak aneh adalah kenyataan bahwa sang wanita berusia 46 tahun dan
beranak 7 orang ini masih harus mengenakan pelat P pada mobilnya yang artinya
belum lama belajar mengendarai mobil. Australia bukanlah negara semacam Saudi
Arabia yang mengekang kaum wanita untuk tidak boleh mengendarai mobil. Putri
teman saya sejak berusia 17 tahun sudah dibelikan mobil baru.
Fihak lawyer wanita ini membela dengan mengatakan bahwa pengadilan tidak bisa
membuktikan bahwa sang wanita yang menandatangani Statutory Declaration
tersebut. Ini logika aneh, kalau memang bukan dia yang menandatangani
pernyataan tersebut, maka dari jauh-jauh hari dia sudah bisa menolak panggilan
pengadilan hingga tidak perlu sampai sidang pengadilan diadakan untuk kasus ini
dan bukannya menunggu keputusan pengadilan yang menghukumnya dengan 6 bulan
penjara.
Hijab woman sentenced to six months
By Sarah Malik, AAP
November 19, 2010, 4:54 pm
A Muslim woman has lodged an appeal after she was sentenced to six months in
prison for falsely accusing a police officer of forcibly removing her veil.
Carnita Matthews, a 46-year-old mother of seven, broke down in tears as
Magistrate Robert Rabbidge described her crime as "deliberate, malicious and
ruthless".
"There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind, beyond a reasonable doubt, that she
knew that the complaint she was making was false," he told Campbelltown Local
Court on Friday.
"The system would collapse, of course, if people are making false and wrong
complaints to authorities."
Matthews was charged with one count of making a false complaint against police
in August, after signing a statutory declaration claiming an officer forced her
to remove her hijab, or face veil.
It was made three days after she was pulled over by Senior Constable Paul
Fogarty at Woodbine, in Sydney's southwest, for a random breath test on June 7
this year.
A video of the incident, which was played to the court, shows Matthews accusing
the officer of being a racist after he handed her a fine for not displaying
green P-plates properly.
"You look at me and see me wearing this and you couldn't handle it. All cops
are racist," she says.
The magistrate rejected her lawyer's argument that the prosecution could not
prove it was Matthews herself who made the complaint and signed the declaration.
But police prosecutor sergeant Lisa McEvoy said there was no doubt.
"Her signature on that affidavit coupled with the signature on her driver's
licence is exactly the same," she told the court.
Despite the fact Matthews has no previous criminal record, the magistrate said
her crime was serious and demanded a "denunciatory" sentence.
He said highway patrol police faced an "onerous duty" in issuing fines to irate
members of the public, adding an allegation of racism was serious and could
jeopardise a career.
"There is an absolute and clear duty on police to satisfy who they are dealing
with," he told the court.
Stephen Hopper, Matthews' lawyer, immediately lodged an appeal to the District
Court against the conviction and sentence. His client was granted bail.
"The defence disagree with the learned magistrate's decision," he told AAP
outside the court.
"Accordingly, we have lodged an all-grounds appeal for the matter to be heard
in the District court."
Mr Hopper said he couldn't comment personally on the matter.
"Certainly, that doesn't stop other people forming their own views," he said.
"I am sure some people will agree with the magistrate and some people will
disagree."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/8352004/hijab-women-sentenced-to-six-months/
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