Mother’s Testimony Challenged
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 @ 4:29 PM
Prince George, B.C. – The inquest into the death of Greg Matters, continued today with Counsel for the Attorney General, Andrew Kemp, calling into question some of the testimony that had been given by Lorraine Matters, Greg’s mother.
Lorraine Matters had testified she had been brutally arrested on the day her son died. She said she had first been given permission from Inspector Greg Anderson, to visit Greg at the cabin on the family homestead, a place he considered a sanctuary.
Later testimony showcased a different version of the call when Anderson testified he did not give permission, but rather asked her to leave the farm for her own safety.
Lorraine said she decided to drive to the cabin. Saying her car was stopped by a black police suburban. Both she and an officer, later identified as Cpl. Warwick, exited their vehicles.
Warwick was dressed in fatigues and carried what she said looked like a machine gun.
He told her to put her hands on the roof of the car. She replied she could not, due to a medical problem.
She alleged he forced her hands up, then after frisking her told her to lower them. Again, she could not. At that point she claims he grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her to the police vehicle, kneeing her in the chest when she reached for her glasses. She said during the entire encounter she begged him for her son’s life.
During the seven hours she was held at the detachment she alleges further callous behaviour, including remaining in handcuffs for a long period of time.
Her sense of timing that day was questioned by Kemp, as was her behaviour.
He suggested she was in cuffs for perhaps 15 minutes, carefully taking her through the process she underwent that day, pointing out distances between the various rooms she was taken to and asking about the officers she spoke with.
Lorraine said she wasn’t wearing a watch that day and did not recall many of the conversations Kemp asked about.
He added she was argumentative, beginning in the morning when she visited the two officers at either end of her property to give them a piece of her mind.
The attitude, he contended, continued with Warwick, who did not knee her violently as she said, but rather used the move to subdue her before putting her into the suburban.
He called the time she went towards the cabin in question as well. If she went later in the afternoon, as he suggested, then this further changes the sequence of events, meaning she did not wait as long as she testified before the police car that transferred her to the station showed up.
Two neighbours also gave their testimony today, and in both cases they were people who’d known the Matters’ for many years.
Valerie Pinko said she had coffee with Lorraine about three days a week and had known Greg for years. After noting the police presence in the neighbourhood, she found out what was going on and called Greg on his mother’s cell phone, which he was using.
He agreed to go to the police detachment with Pinko, but later police refused to allow her to do it.
Likewise, Mike Noullett, a 40 year friend of the family was refused when he offered his help.
Anderson testified his advice was sought following the altercation between the two brothers which led to the stand-off.
Two plans were developed, the first having Matters turn himself in at the detachment and the second a ruse bringing Matters out of his home to show officers evidence of the donuts it’s alleged his brother spun in the family driveway, then arresting him.
Both plans failed.
Anderson updated his supervisor, Supt. Eric Stubbs, who had the final say in deploying the Emergency Response Team.
Anderson spoke to Matters by phone several times through the ensuing hours, offering to go to the farm and escort him in personally.
Matters continued to insist his brother be arrested first. Though his brother, Trevor, offered to be arrested, Anderson said his crime amounted to a ticket rather than an arrestable offence.
Anderson said he also spoke to Lorraine Matters, testifying though she said she was going to see Greg, he told her to leave the premises.
In his final conversation with Matters, Anderson said the man agreed to come in, believing he was meeting family friend Pinko, who would drive him to the detachment.
This was another ruse.
Talking to him Anderson told Greg several times to keep his hands up, calming him. Matters seemed fine until he got to the gate. Seeing the gate had been broken, Matters lost his temper and said he was going to confront the people who did it.
He hung up and when Anderson called him back all he could hear was Matters screaming.
Next, Cameron Ward, Counsel for the Matters family, will question Anderson.
Warwick, the officer alleged to have used a great deal of force while arresting Lorraine Matters, is among those left to testify.
Comments
Lie’n bunch of no good wipes they are…
I happen to know Insp. Anderson, he’s a great guy and the most honest person I know.
Due to past examples never believe a cop without video.
Armchair cops.
remember the poor polish immigrant johnny boy you have a bad memory…. ROBOCOPS.
Ice, you seem to have a one track memory.
Its a cover-up, trust is long gone and that’s a shame. Poor training and piss poor leadership ends in death
steh99, not dropping the hatchet ends in death
I would guess she was argumentative. I would be too, if guys in black with machine guns were after my son.
Say it’s not so. Botched deployment and the top cop gets a promotion. There were also no wrongdoings admitted by the RCMP in Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski’s death until a video surfaced and was analyzed.
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