Sunday, December 22, 2024

Twist in case of Aussie businessman ‘assaulted’ in the US

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Police say there is no indication an Australian businessman found unconscious on a street in the US had been assaulted. 

Colin Bettles, the 54-year-old chief executive of Grain Producers Australia, was on a business trip in San Francisco when he was injured last Thursday.

Grain Producers Australia chief executive Colin Bettles. (Supplied)

The San Francisco Police Department said investigations have concluded Bettles had not been assaulted.

“There has been widespread media coverage about Bettles with claims that he was the victim of an assault or robbery,” the department said in an update today.

“SFPD reviewed surveillance video from the scene and found no indication that Bettles was assaulted or the victim of a crime.

“He was in possession of his property at the hospital.”

While Bettle recovers in hospital, police are urging anyone with information to contact them on 415-553-0123.

Bettles was found unconscious and injured on the busy and popular Market Street. (Getty)

The executive had suffered severe head and eye injuries and was placed in an induced coma for four days, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

During that time, his sudden absence and failure to board his flight back home sparked concerns with his unsuspecting family. 

They contacted his friend, federal MP and former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack, who raised the alarm with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

It was then that authorities in the US began investigating his disappearance and tracked him to the hospital. 

“He’s an all-round good guy. No one deserves what has happened to him,” McCormack said.

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