NT Police investigating Barkly Regional Council mayor’s ‘citizen’s arrest’ of Indigenous boy

Detectives have questioned a Tennant Creek man who was filmed threatening to kill an Aboriginal boy and pushing the child’s head into the ground with his boot while the town’s mayor restrained the 12-year-old.

Barkly Regional Council Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin

Detectives have questioned a Tennant Creek man filmed threatening to kill an Aboriginal boy and pushing the child’s head into the ground with his boot while the town’s mayor restrained the 12-year-old.

On August 21, Barkly Regional Council mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin allegedly caught a boy breaking into his Tennant Creek home.

The mayor, who recently pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges, chased the child 60m down the street before restraining him in the yard of neighbour Graham Kirk.

Mr McLaughlin said he performed a citizen’s arrest by sitting on the boy for about 20 minutes until police arrived.

The Australian understands he called the outback town’s officer in charge while Mr Kirk called ­triple-0.

On Friday, the NT Independent published snippets of video footage filmed by neighbour Suzanne Green, who had become concerned for the boy’s welfare.

The footage showed Mr McLaughlin sitting on the child and swearing at him while Mr Kirk threatened to kill the boy and forcefully pushed his head down with a booted foot.

“I’d love to stamp on your head,” Mr Kirk told the boy.

The boy then starts to scream as Mr Kirk appears to prepare to kick him in the head. “Keep your f..king head down or I’ll stamp on it,” he yells at the child while standing over him.

“If I had my way, mate, I wouldn’t be ringing the cops. You’d be going, and you won’t be coming back. Think about that, mate.”

Mr Kirk then threatens to punch the boy, pulling his first back but not following through.

“You’re lucky I don’t punch you right in the head, aye?” he says. “Don’t mister me. If I catch you around here again, I will kill you, you hear me? You hear me?”

Mr Kirk then pushed his boot into the boy’s head while Mr McLaughlin, still sitting on the child’s back, looks down at his phone and then around anxiously.

Tennant Creek resident Graham Kirk pushes his boot into the boy’s head while Barkly Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin restrains the boy.

NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst on Monday said police were investigating.

Mr Kirk declined to comment on Monday but his son, Andrew Kirk, told The Australian his father regretted his behaviour but was “angry, frustrated and fed up” with break-ins at their home and youth crime in the outback town.

“He regrets saying certain things in the heat of the moment but obviously he was filled with anger and frustration at finding an intruder in his residence.” He said Alice Springs detectives had interviewed his father at the weekend.

Mr McLaughlin has refused to resign as mayor but has gone on indefinite leave. The 43-year-old musician has also evacuated his family from the remote community following a spate of threats online stemming from the footage.

Acting Barkly mayor Greg Marlow said the council would await the outcome of the police investigation before deciding what action, if any, was required.

Member for Barkly Steven Edgington, a former police officer, said he was horrified at footage. “It’s clearly unacceptable and unreasonable force being used in that video by both men,” he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with a citizen’s arrest but what it gets down to is what’s reasonable.”

It is understood that police ­released the boy after the August incident.