8 Aug 2012

Police deny punching, kicking Dotcom

7:16 pm on 8 August 2012

Police have denied Kim Dotcom's allegation that officers punched him in the face during a raid on his home.

A hearing at the High Court in Auckland this week is running through the events on the day of the raid in January to determine what should happen with the evidence gathered, after a ruling found the search warrants were illegal.

On Tuesday Mr Dotcom told the court an officer punched him in the face, kneed him in the ribs and kicked him to the ground when they arrested him.

On Wednesday an officer involved in the raid rejected that claim as he was cross-examined by Mr Dotcom's lawyer, Paul Davison QC.

The officer, whose name is suppressed, also denied Mr Dotcom's claims that officers kicked him.

Earlier, police footage of the raid on the home of the German internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom was shown.

Mr Dotcom, the founder of the MegaUpload file-sharing website, faces extradition to the United States on charges relating to the world's largest copyright fraud prosecution.

A member of the police special tactics group gave evidence on Wednesday morning about the raid, and why it was necessary to use what the defence describes as heavy-handed tactics.

In the CCTV footage, taken from the police helicopter, images of Mr Dotcom's mansion and expansive grounds are shown, and commands between the officers can be heard as they arrest Mr Dotcom and his co-accused.