Man charged after alleged livestream of cable-tied children

The 45-year old man allegedly tied three children together at their wrists to restrain them for police after he found them swimming in his pool.

A West Australian man has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault after a video emerged of three Aboriginal children tied up with cable ties in a front yard. Picture: Instagram

A West Australian man captured on a Facebook livestream as two Aboriginal children sat cable-tied in his driveway has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault, with police refusing to say whether the incident was racially-motivated.

The 45 year-old man allegedly tied two boys and a girl, aged between six to eight, together with cable ties at their wrists to restrain them for police after he found them swimming in his pool.

Police received a call at 1.35pm from a someone who told them children were swimming in a pool in their neighbours property in Cable beach.

About 10 minutes later, police received a call from the 45 year-old man who told them he had restrained three children for causing damage to the backyard.

In a video taken just after 2pm on Tuesday, and live-streamed to Facebook, the children can be seen slumped on the garage door crying.

A number of women can be heard behind the fence of the man’s property yelling at him to ‘let the children go’.

“Look what he did to these kids here, tying them up. Let them go,” one woman can be heard saying.

“They’re little kids,” another woman says.

Three Aboriginal children tied up with cable ties in a front yard. Picture: Instagram

When officers arrived, they found the two children tied up. They soon located a third child, who had also been detained but fled before police got there.

An image shared on social media appeared to show the three children tied together.

“The man, from Broome, was taken into custody, interviewed over the matter and charged,” Western Australia police said in a statement. “It is alleged the force used to restrain the children was not proportionate in the circumstances.”

The man was granted bail to appear at Broome Magistrates Court later this month.

Premier Roger Cook said the video was “confronting” for everyone, but called for calm.

“I think any person who would have seen that video would have found it confronting, would have found it disturbing. And I understand it raises very strong emotions from everybody in the community,” he said.

The man could be seen in a livestream to Facebook. Picture: Instagram

“But I urge everyone, let the police get on and do their job. Let the justice process take place.”

He said the police would monitor the situation “in terms of community emotions up there” and deploy more resources to the region if necessary. He wouldn’t comment on whether he thought the incident was racially-motivated.

“Obviously if you see a situation where you think a crime is taking place you should contact the police ... I don’t think it’s appropriate in relation to small children to act in an aggressive manner.”

Human rights advocate Hannah McGlade said the “shocking” to see young Aboriginal children being tied up in a “vigilante style manner”.

She called on Aboriginal affairs Minister Tony Buti and Premier Roger Cook to make every effort to “stamp out racism in the state” and urged police to use their power under WA’s Criminal Code “to ensure the racist element is reflected in the law”.

Indigenous activist Megan Krakouer said “it’s indescribable the neglect by State Governments to not redress the horrors inflicted on these children’s parents, grandparents and great grandparents by this State’s racist history”.

“For now we need culturally rich engagement and nurture services for our lost youth.”