Territory mayor fights calls to quit after shocking child arrest video

The mayor of a remote Northern Territory town recorded sitting on a young Indigenous boy being threatened by another man is fighting calls he should resign. CONTENT WARNING

Tennant Creek Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin says he will not resign in the wake of shock video showing him making a citizen’s arrest of a young Aboriginal boy threatened by another man.

Mr McLaughlin defended sitting on the boy while he phoned police, saying the method used to “apprehend the youth was entirely reasonable in the circumstances”.

It comes amid calls for Mr McLaughlin to stand aside from his position and police to investigate the incident.

Mr McLaughlin said the child, believed to be 12 years old, attempted to break into his home on August 21.

A 40-second video shows Mr McLaughlin sitting on the young boy as another man is heard saying to the child: “You’re lucky I don’t punch you right in the head.”

“If I catch you round here again I will kill you,” the other man says.

“You hear me, you hear me?”

The man’s boot is pressed hard into the child’s head during the citizens arrest.

The other man then pushes his right boot into the back of the restrained child’s head.

A second, shorter video shows Mr McLaughlin telling the boy: “I will sit here as long as I f***ing have to.”

“One of you guys are going to get killed,” Mr McLaughlin says.

The other man can be heard telling the boy: “I would love to stamp on your head.”

“Keep your f***ing head down, or I’ll stamp on it,” he says.

Mr McLaughlin said he was making a lawful citizen’s arrest, and it was “disappointing that this footage has been released for self-evidently political purposes”.

“Unfortunately, as is well-known to the residents of the Northern Territory, the Barkly Region and Central Australia is in the grips of a youth crime epidemic,” he told this publication.

“On the 21st of August 2023, I made a citizen’s arrest of a youth attempting to break into my family home, as I am lawfully entitled to.

A still from CCTV of a break-in at Tennant Creek mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin's family home.

“The force I used to apprehend the youth was entirely reasonable in the circumstances.

“I immediately called NT Police and requested their attendance at the scene.

“Whilst the spontaneous remarks and conduct of the other adult male in the footage can rightly be described as inappropriate, they are not mine and I did not encourage them.

“As soon as police arrived, I complied with their directions and NT Police took the youth into their custody.”

Mr McLaughlin said he declined to press charges against the boy and immediately visited the boy’s grandparents to explain what had happened.

He also spoke with the child’s parents.

“I was protecting my family and my children,” he said.

“If that kid’s going through trauma, what about my nine and 11-year-old daughters who are going through trauma.

“He broke into my house multiple times. This is not about race, it’s about a little kid that broke into my house.”

SNAICC chief executive Catherine Liddle

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle condemned the actions on the video.

“No matter what this child is alleged to have done, this is unacceptable behaviour from two grown men, especially from a person who is meant to be a community leader,” Ms Liddle said.

“Mr McLaughlin is a grown man sitting with his full weight on a small child, while telling him he is lucky not to be killed.

“It is sickening and inexcusable. We cannot ignore this sort of behaviour and violent threats made towards children.

“I call on Mr McLaughlin to do the right thing, set an example to his community, and resign immediately.”

Child welfare organisation SNAICC called the incident ‘sickening’ and said Jeffrey McLaughlin should quit.

Acting Children’s Commissioner Nicole Hucks said she was concerned the footage showed “vigilantism was alive” in the NT.

“This behaviour is only encouraged by the continued negative, stereotypical and often discriminatory portrayal of children in the media and on social media - which has to stop,” she said.

“Harm to, or abuse of, children is unlawful. Every Territory adult has mandatory reporting responsibilities.”

A second man in the video makes threats to stamp on the boys head.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the footage was “confronting”.

“The Northern Territory Police are investigating the incident,” she said.

“No further comment will be made at this time.”

Justice Minister Chansey Paech said he was both “alarmed and horrified” by the video.

“This is completely unacceptable behaviour and I call on Mr McLaughlin to review his future as an elected official, and to immediately step aside while an investigation into the matter is undertaken,” he said.

Barkly MLA Steve Edgington said he was shocked at what he described as the “unnecessary use of force used against such a young person”.

“Any form of violence is completely unacceptable,” he said.

“I understand that the police are investigating this matter and as it involves and elected mayor, I expect he will step aside to allow the investigation to be conducted.”

Mr McLaughlin said he would not resign.

“My actions were neither illegal nor inconsistent with my position as the Mayor of the Barkly Regional Council,” he said.

“I will not be resigning from my position at the Mayor of the Barkly Regional Council.”