Dad fined for putting teenager in chokehold after hearing rape rumour

After hearing a rumour a student raped a classmate at school, a Kingaroy dad grabbed the young person around the neck, landing him in court for assault.

A Kingaroy father’s attempt at vigilante justice backfired after a disturbing schoolyard rumour moved him to put a 15-year-old boy in a chokehold.

Appearing before Kingaroy Magistrates Court, Bradley Raymond Charrington pleaded guilty to assaulting the student outside Kingaroy Shopping World on December 2 last year.

At 2.25pm, the complainant and another young person had exited the shopping centre through the front doors when he was assaulted by Charrington.

“The CCTV shows the defendant approached the victim child from behind. He put an arm around the child's neck in a chokehold style hold and basically takes him to the ground,” police prosecutor Sergeant Gangemi told the court.

They remained on the ground for about 30 seconds before a member of the public intervened.

“The child had some skin off his knees and a small bruise on the side of his neck,” Sergeant Gangemi said.

Representing himself, Charrington said he’d heard allegations from his son that the complainant had “raped a girl at school” and was “taunting her”.

“My son with these other kids wanted to bash him. So he’s called my to come down,” he said.

Charrington said he held the boy until the police arrived and then let him go.

“It was a split second decision. I know it was the wrong decision and that's why I’m pleading guilty to this,” he said.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair fined Charrington $500, which was referred to SPER, with 50 per cent of that amount going to the complainant.

“You've accepted that you’ve caused him some harm and you’ve accepted that you shouldn’t have done that,” Magistrate Sinclair said.

“It’s not for vigilantes to go around.”