10/11/2023
Barkly,
-- below is text extract --
Man charged with assault of Indigenous child who had been restrained by Barkly Regional Council mayor
WARNING: Contains distressing content. NT Police have confirmed a 61-year-old man featured in this video, left, has been charged with assault.
A man who was captured on video using threatening language and placing his foot on the head of an Indigenous child has been charged with assault by police.
Key points:
A 61-year-old man has been charged with the aggravated assault of a child
The man was seen in footage that also captured suspended Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin sitting on the child
Police say investigations into the incident are ongoing
The alleged assault occurred while the now-suspended Barkly Regional Council mayor restrained the child during what he has previously called a "citizen's arrest".
A video released last month showed Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin sitting on a boy he said had broken into his home in late August.
Another man at the scene, who can be seen in the video placing his foot on the head of the boy and threatening to "stamp" on his head, has now been issued a notice to appear in court for aggravated assault, Northern Territory Police have confirmed.
The 61-year-old man is due to appear in the Tennant Creek Local Court on November 23.
Cr McLaughlin rejected calls for his resignation following the incident amid criticism from the national children's commissioner, acting NT children's commissioner, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) and the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Tennant creek from the top of a hill.
The incident of the boy being held to the ground during a "citizen's arrest" in Tennant Creek attracted intense public scrutiny.(ABC News: Roxanne Fitzgerald)
Cr McLaughlin has previously said he acted "for the child's welfare" during the incident and that his use of force to apprehend the boy was "entirely reasonable in the circumstances".
Cr McLaughlin also said he immediately called NT Police and requested their attendance at the scene.
He has been on leave since the footage went public.
Police said investigations into the incident were ongoing.
All elected members of Barkly Regional Council, including Cr McLaughlin, were suspended from office in October after the NT government placed the council under official management.
resource:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-10/tennant-creek-child-citizens-arrest-aggravated-assault-charge/103089714?fbclid=IwAR3fs4lubpvKXNZf72CsLrCiTnIFu-TtWw6YrlJBARr2TdqYPoeSNjfSGWs
A man filmed making threats and placing his foot on the head of an Indigenous child, while the suspended mayor of the Barkly council restrained the boy, will face court on a charge of aggravated assault.
