Wild claims after parents chase down man who allegedly snatched kid

A 10-year-old boy was “forcibly” kidnapped by a man in possession of a machete after a child threw a rock at a car during an outing to a popular playground, police allege. Three people have been charged.

Parents gave chase after a boy was allegedly dragged from a playground.

A 10-year-old boy was “forcibly” kidnapped by a man in possession of a machete after a child threw a rock at a car during an outing to a popular playground south of Brisbane, a court heard.

In the wild incident captured entirely on CCTV cameras the parents of the boy are alleged to have then given chase before confronting the accused kidnapper.

Three people have been charged in relation to the alleged incident, Queensland Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Chris Stream said on Sunday.

“There will be a number of allegations which police will allege occurred involving interactions between those three persons, a 10-year-old child and also persons (who) were related to that 10-year-old child,” he said.

“Currently they’re allegations but obviously, really scary for a child to be involved in that type of (alleged) incident - as you would appreciate also very scary for parents involved, having a child allegedly abducted.

Tauvela Soe, from Woodridge, appeared via video-link in Brisbane Arrest Court on Saturday morning before Magistrate Joseph Pinder where the court heard he had allegedly kidnapped a 10-year-old boy at Adventure Park at Woodridge, south of Brisbane, on Friday.

Summarising the police allegations against Soe, Mr Pinder said that it was a “strong Crown case, on the material that I find, where he has taken a child who is 10, forcibly into his car and moved him around, that’s the allegation”.

“It is proven by the statement from the complainant child, the CCTV footage and the police apprehending him a short time after in the vehicle with the weapon the child identified,” Mr Pinder said.

The alleged incident occured at Woodridge Adventure Park south of Brisbane.

Soe, who works as a packer at the Woolworths distribution centre in Larapinta, appeared in court via video-link to Southport watchhouse on the Gold Coast charged with assaults occasioning bodily harm whilst armed and kidnapping.

Mr Pinder refused Soe bail stating that duty lawyer Peta Dent took no issue with the police allegation that Soe “forcibly” kidnapped then 10-year-old “from the streets of the city, in public, forcibly dragged into a vehicle and kept for a prolonged period of time and driven around”.

“The entire incident was captured on CCTV footage from the local council. The complainant has provided a detailed statement identifying the defendant, the case is a very strong case,” Mr Pinder said.

“What confronts the defendant is serious conduct involving an ‘at random’ young person on the streets in public, in respect of … an offence if he is convicted he will be sentenced to years of imprisonment,” Mr Pinder said.

Ms Dent told the court that the assault occasioning bodily harm charge “is strongly contested and Mr Soe is contesting the allegation of use of any weapons”.

“The incident is somewhat unusual in that its alleged to arise as the result of damage to a vehicle,” Ms Dent said.

“Mr Soe in preliminary instructions has raised self defence in relation to the assault occasioning bodily harm charge,” she said.

“It is alleged that the parents of the victim child involved have followed a vehicle and there has been a confrontation,” she said.

Ms Dent submitted that the complainant child and others were the “protagonists” and that the machete weapon was not used, Mr Pinder said.

“I’ve been instructed that the victims who had confronted the vehicle had done so whilst armed and the weapons have been brought by that person to that altercation,” she said.

“He denies making any allegations to police at a later time that he would assault that child,” she said.

“He does not know that child,” she said of the alleged victim.

Ms Dent said Soe had no prior convictions for assault, but had other prior convictions.

Soe lives with his 62-year-old father and two siblings in Woodridge and financially supports his partner and three children who are aged 8, 5 and 2.

Ms Dent said that if Soe was refused bail he would lose his job at Woolworths and would be unable to support his family.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Darrel Armfield submitted that Soe was an unacceptable risk to the community if freed on bail.

Soe is due back in Beenleigh Magistrates Court via video-link on June 10.