Mason and Christian Butler granted bail in Darwin Supreme Court over alleged attack on campers

‘If you go to the cops I’ll kill you’: Further allegations have emerged of the terrifying assault of two campers who were threatened and injured as their alleged attackers were granted bail.

Christian and Mason Butler were granted bail after allegedly assaulting a couple on a camping trip.

The brothers who allegedly attacked and threatened to kill a pair of campers they tracked to a remote Groote Eylandt campsite using social media have been granted bail.

Mason Butler, 20, and Christian Butler, 18, faced Darwin Supreme Court on Tuesday morning after their previous two attempts at bail were shot down in the Local Court.

Justice John Burns granted their release from custody under strict conditions, as the court heard of their alleged victims’ ongoing anxiety after the April 1 incident.

Sergeant Aaron Chapman, the officer stationed at Alyangula who responded to the alleged attack, was called to give evidence.

Mr Chapman alleged Mason and Christian Butler, along with 18-year-old Braydon Mamarika, filmed themselves before, during and after the assault, some of which was posted to Snapchat.

The trio had allegedly used Snapchat’s maps feature to find their victims, Blake Booth and Paiten Edwards.

Police allege Christian and Mason Butler told their victims they would “kill them” if the attack was reported.

They were caught up in “a young person’s jilted heartbreak”, defence lawyer Luke McLaughlin said, one of the alleged attackers having been previously involved with Ms Edwards.

Despite Mason Butler wiping the Snapchat app from his phone the day of his arrest, police were able to recover videos which allegedly showed the Butler brothers carrying out the assault on the couple in their tent.

Mr Chapman described the video, claiming you could hear the Butlers were out of breath “as if post-attack”.

“You hear the verbal threat saying, ‘If you go to the cops, I’ll kill you’, I believe Mason says, ‘I’ll place my arms around your neck and strangle you’, Christian is calling her a slut repeatedly, ‘Are you happy now slut?’, I don’t recall exactly every word that’s said in the video,” he said.

Mr Chapman said he spoke with Mr Booth on Monday, who was “physically okay but mentally still shaken up”.

“Booth was extremely fearful … He tried to go out for a social event the other night and he couldn’t do it, he’s really struggled socially.”

Mr Booth was particularly concerned about the alleged threat not to call the police, Mr Chapman said, as “now they’ve actually done some time (on remand) he’s extremely concerned that they’re going to get out and find him”.

Ms Edwards planned to move to Queensland, telling one of Mr Chapman’s colleagues she wanted to “move on and minimise contact”.

Therese Birch, mother of Mason and Christian Butler, had allegedly been contacting the victims. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Chapman also alleged the Butler’s parents had visited Mr Booth and Ms Edwards a number of times, and their mother, Therese Birch, had been “harassing” the victims on social media.

When granting bail, Justice Burns spoke directly to Ms Birch, who was sitting in the courtroom, saying any online contact must “cease immediately” or risk breaching her sons’ bail conditions.

Ms Birch has not been charged in relation to any allegations of contact with Mr Booth or Ms Edwards.

The brothers’ were sent to live with different relatives out of the Darwin area.

They are scheduled to appear at Darwin Local Court on June 7, along with Mamarika who was granted bail on April 7.