RAGNO DENIES POLICE CASE

ANTI-DRUGS campaigner Shane Ragno yesterday accused police of conducting a
vendetta against him after making a court appearance on a charge of falsely
reporting that his home had been fire-bombed.

Defence lawyer Arthur Paternoster told Joondalup Magistrate's Court that Mr
Ragno not only denied the charge but believed that the facts did not
support the police case.

"Mere suspicion by the police . . . is not sufficient for the purpose of
the commencement of a criminal prosecution," he said.

Outside court, Mr Ragno said he believed the charge of making a false
report to police was part of an attempt to silence him. "Who's been
stepping out of line saying police are corrupt and who's been stepping out
of line and saying who the drug dealers are?" he said.

Police allege Mr Ragno, who leads a group called Parents Against Drug
Dealers, was involved in throwing a molotov cocktail at his Ocean Reef home
on January 10.

Mr Ragno's son, Shane, died from a drug overdose in 1999.

Mr Ragno was remanded on $500 bail to reappear in court next month.