NRL player Tom Starling has opened up about a brutal police attack from nearly four years ago, following the news that two of the officers involved had been charged.
Starling was at the Shady Palms restaurant at Kincumber on December 5, 2020, when he was involved in an altercation with the police.
Tom Starling talks about the 2020 police assault.
After three years, two cops are finally facing charges.
Starling told 2GB’s Ben Fordham that he is happy to put everything behind him and that it was the correct decision—possibly too late.
“I guess it’s a bit of mixed emotions,” Starling said to Fordham.
“I think it’s a positive move, but it’s unfortunate that it’s taking so long to happen. The police have had the video evidence from that night for three years, and it’s been a year since the court dismissed my charges, and we’re still not there.
“I’m still not sure why just two cops have been prosecuted; that night, there were three officers punching people and at least one more who physically attacked my friend Jesse Burns. I think more might be accomplished.”
Starling, who is now 25 years old, stated that he felt compelled to raise his voice and take a position on this matter, not just for himself but also for other people who could have experienced a similar circumstance.
“It’s quite an intimidating thing to come up against, the Police force, with an endless amount of money, endless support for them,” Starling stated.
Working throughout the day and trying to make ends meet may be quite taxing on an individual’s finances and mental health.
“All I want is for the cops who were there that evening to be held responsible for their conduct.
It’s a really graphic video, and it’s evident to everyone with two eyes that the police were wrong there. Evidence has been shown in court to suggest that the incident was more of a street fight and that the officers were not doing their official duties.
“It’s been three years and they’ve only just come up with these low-end charges of common assault, there’s a reason why I’m pursuing this so heavily at the moment, because I’d hate to see someone else go through what me and my family have been put through.”
