NSW: Police officer cleared of shovel bungle

AAP General News (Australia)
08-18-1999
NSW: Police officer cleared of shovel bungle

A police officer accused of not telling his superiors about the discovery of a shovel in
the search for four missing snowboarders has been cleared of wrongdoing.

DEAN PINCINI, TIM FRIEND, and brothers SCOTT and PAUL BEARDSMORE, from the Sydney suburb of
Frenchs Forest, have been missing in the Snowy Mountains for 11 days.

Search officials were embarrassed yesterday when it was revealed they had been unaware for
three days that the shovel -- which had DEANO scratched into it -- had been found.

Searchers initially thought it might belong to missing man DEAN PINCINI, but it was later
identified as the property of a Sydney man.

Search operation head Inspector MARTIN WOOKEY says investigators have told him the officer
has been cleared of wrongdoing but are continuing inquiries into the matter.

He says the incident revealed a breakdown in communication which needs to be addressed.

Meanwhile, Inspector WOOKEY says a small bag found in the search area yesterday has also
been eliminated as a clue to the snowboarders' whereabouts.

AAP RTV as/tsm/pjg/shm/rt

KEYWORD: SNOWBOARDERS SHOVEL (SYDNEY)

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