"B Grade" Swimmer ducks charges

[buggerlugs]

http://www.news.com.au/national/life...-1226207157789
Can't believe Swimming Australia on this one . Anything for a gold medal

[csv8]

Does this set a precedent????

[buggerlugs]

Well Swimming Australia have basically snubbed the law. ......I'd say it does big time.....

[JC]

He's young, he made an error in judgement. He came clean (eventually). He will be embarrassed, so if he has the balls to stand up and swim for his country with that background, then good on him. And the stories I've heard (read) about some Qld police - they should be the last ones pointing the "Hypocrite" finger.

[SEZ213]

He's not a five year old kid, he's in his 20's...

I'm not sure lying is an 'error in judgement'...but this sets a dangerous precedent. Lets face it - it would appear he only came clean because someone stood up and said 'no, that didn't happen'...the same reason most people come clean after they've lied - they got caught out.

The fact that Swimming Australia are backing him...well, let's just say I'm not surprised...

[Geez Louise]

Oh you just have to love the highlighted bit! This is not a kid we are talking about here. He is 23yrs of age. Lying is lying but to make up such an elaborate one....the whole thing stinks!

Originally Posted by news.com.au

LYING Olympic swimmer Kenrick Monk has escaped a possible three-year jail term, with police top brass not charging the 23-year-old despite the fury of frontline officers.
The Queensland Police Union has labelled the Brisbane-based Monk a "wannabe B-grade celebrity athlete" protected by "Swimming Australia's faceless backroom club" after he avoided charges.

Union president Ian Leavers slammed Swimming Australia, which submitted a character reference to police supporting Monk.

"Swimming Australia now being caught red-handed being complicit in orchestrating Mr Monk out of being charged by police has to be the final nail in the coffin of (its) fast-sinking credibility."

"The public rightly expect that no one should deliberately waste the time of police, whether they be wannabe B-grade celebrity athletes like this modern day 'boy who cried wolf', or just regular people," Mr Leavers said.

"What this decision to not charge Mr Monk shows is that a very clear double standard is alive and well in Australia.

"It appears Swimming Australia has succumbed to the hypnotic allure of trying to win gold medals rather than to be concerned with the calibre of people who will wear the green and gold to represent our once proud nation."

Monk was fined by Swimming Australia and received a stern letter from top police.

On September 28, Monk made a false complaint to police, detailing an elaborate "hit and run" incident involving "hoons" when he in fact fell off his skateboard and broke his elbow in two places.

Two days later Monk decided to come clean after police told him a witness contradicted his account.

Swimming Australia chief Kevin Neil defended his organisation's backing of Monk and said the swimmer had been reprimanded internally.

"I am sure Mr Leavers is a fine and diligent president of the Queensland Police Union but I am not quite sure where he has gained his expertise to comment on the quality of the Australian swimming team," Mr Neil said.

The official police letter to Monk, obtained by The Sunday Mail states "undertakings" made by Swimming Australia had helped the Beijing Olympian avoid criminal charges.

The letter to Monk from assistant commissioner Peter Martin also dubs the swimmer "immature and irresponsible".



Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/life...#ixzz1erOgBVrp

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

He's not a five year old kid, he's in his 20's...

I'm not sure lying is an 'error in judgement'...but this sets a dangerous precedent. Lets face it - it would appear he only came clean because someone stood up and said 'no, that didn't happen'...the same reason most people come clean after they've lied - they got caught out.

The fact that Swimming Australia are backing him...well, let's just say I'm not surprised...

agree. it seems he only came forward, because his story was unravelling. it was a major error of judgement - maybe his only one, maybe not. considering at the very least that police resources were used to catch someone that didn't exist, there must surely be some repercussions to the lie. it seems that he got off very lightly

[Envi XR8]

I wonder how many police officers spent time investigating this? He should have been charged because;
* he made up the story to cover up the real accident.
* he even went on TV and radio asking the 'driver' to come forward
he's old enough to know better and should be held accountable for his actions. The other issue here is, what if was a performance enhancing drug he was offered? this situation has shown he will lie to cover his own a r s e and that nothing is too far. If he had told the truth, yes, people would think he was an idiot, now everyone knows he is a lying idiot.

There should be consequences. The fact remains if he was a nobody, he would have been charged. the message here is if you are a top level sportsperson, who stands a chance of winning something, the law does not apply.

Until the importance of medal potential outweighs the purpose of the law of the land and the police and the government in this country take a serious unified approach to stamping this kind of rubbish out and the sports institutes commit to either keeping their 'stars' in line, or punishing them when they don't, this sort of thing will continue to occur.

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by Envi XR8

I wonder how many police officers spent time investigating this? He should have been charged because;
* he made up the story to cover up the real accident.
* he even went on TV and radio asking the 'driver' to come forward
he's old enough to know better and should be held accountable for his actions. The other issue here is, what if was a performance enhancing drug he was offered? this situation has shown he will lie to cover his own a r s e and that nothing is too far. If he had told the truth, yes, people would think he was an idiot, now everyone knows he is a lying idiot.

There should be consequences. The fact remains if he was a nobody, he would have been charged. the message here is if you are a top level sportsperson, who stands a chance of winning something, the law does not apply.

Until the importance of medal potential outweighs the purpose of the law of the land and the police and the government in this country take a serious unified approach to stamping this kind of rubbish out and the sports institutes commit to either keeping their 'stars' in line, or punishing them when they don't, this sort of thing will continue to occur.

Most of the people that commented on this article at the bottom of the page agree with you.....

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by JC

He's young, he made an error in judgement. He came clean (eventually). He will be embarrassed, so if he has the balls to stand up and swim for his country with that background, then good on him. And the stories I've heard (read) about some Qld police - they should be the last ones pointing the "Hypocrite" finger.

Wow, that didn't take long for a bit of "Police Bashing"...... So he's young, made an error in Judgement, BUT he could win a medal for Australia. That's obviously more important , eh ?

[Bossxr8]

He should be made to pay the cost of the police investigation.

[Franco Cozzo]

This is the problem with Australia, doesn't matter if you're a scumbag, criminal, rapist as long as you're an ace sports player everything can be hidden/overlooked and been seen as "heroes".

[Bucknaked]

It's Australia. Common people where is your sporting spirit. Don't you know that it is the Australian way to throw millions of taxpayers money at sportsmen and women and treat them like gods. It's un Australian to treat them any otherway, becase everyone knows that winning at sport is whats really important.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

This is the problem with Australia, doesn't matter if you're a scumbag, criminal, rapist as long as you're an ace sports player everything can be hidden/overlooked and been seen as "heroes".

The US isn't much different.

Just ask Kobe and all the others who got away with it.

The only sportsman I can think of who didn't get away with it was Michael Vik, but that was out of the ordinary and they wanted to make an example of him.