Questions remain over whether police are investigating alleged assault at Big W Port Augusta
Questions remain over whether police are investigating an alleged assault by a Big W worker on an indigenous four-year-old girl last week.
Police & Courts
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Police will not say whether they are still investigating an alleged assault by a Big W worker against a four-year-old indigenous girl last week.
The girl’s family told The Advertiser a Big W staff member grabbed her by her new Cotton On hoodie as she was leaving the store with her father Michael Donovan last Wednesday afternoon.
The jumper was purchased at a different store and the price tags were still attached.
The girl was not injured. The incident was first reported to authorities two days later.
SA Police initially told the family that there was no evidence of assault, but the case was reopened when CCTV footage was provided to the family on Tuesday afternoon.
“The investigation has so far included an examination of CCTV of the incident, statements of witnesses and conversations with the family of the child,” police said in a statement on Tuesday.
But, when contacted by The Advertiser yesterdayevening, an SA Police spokesman said he could not reveal if that investigation was continuing.
The family’s lawyer Professor George Newhouse said the family was still “in discussions” with local police.
“(The family) would want police to handle this matter as they would with any member of the public, including if an indigenous person had detained a four-year-old girl,” he said.
“Mum and dad are quite distressed, but they’re trying to create a situation where their daughter’s distress is minimised to ensure her life is as normal as possible.”
A Big W spokeswoman responded to the allegations, saying: “We are taking this matter very seriously and our commitment to the Port Augusta community is very important to us.
“We continue to co-operate with the police and have reached out to the family’s lawyer. We would welcome a face-to-face meeting to listen and better understand how we can support the community moving forward.”