A trader who allegedly restrained three Aboriginal children with zip ties and threatened to “beat them with a big stick” has been arrested after a clip of the incident was shared on social media.
Shocking footage broadcast live on Facebook showed Matej Radelic appearing to use zip ties to bind the wrists of a girl aged just six with two boys aged seven and eight, outside a home in Broome, Western Australia, on Tuesday night. late.
Heartbreaking images shared on the social media platform showed the children, their arms tied together, sobbing as a furious Radelic forced them to sit on the concrete in a sweltering 33 degree Celsius temperature.
The merchant, who runs an air conditioning installation company, reportedly surprised the children swimming in an outdoor pool in their parents’ unoccupied house, which was for sale.
The 45-year-old was charged with three counts of aggravated assault by Western Australian Police on Wednesday and will appear in court to face the charges on March 25.
Meanwhile, his company’s website was taken offline after being bombarded with one-star reviews on Google from social media users disgusted by the video.
This morning, Rowena – mother of little Stuart, seven, and Margaret, six – said Radelic’s alleged actions were a “disgrace” and asked him if he had children of his own to consider how they would feel in a situation. similar.
‘Being behind a fence and seeing my kids tied up like that was an emotion like ‘what can I do?’ We just had to wait for the police,” Rowena told A Current Affair.
The six-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy were tied up with zip ties at the Broome property on Tuesday afternoon.
A photo on Facebook showed three children tied up and bound with zip ties.
Matej Radelic has been accused of three crimes of assault
The clip of the incident was filmed by a relative of the captive children and broadcast live on Facebook.
She implored Radelic to release them, but the shopkeeper refused and said he would hold them until the police arrived, pushing her as he did so.
The relative said the children knew it was wrong to enter the property, but said they were “just kids” and were trying to cool off on a hot day.
Recounting the terrible experience Western Australia In the paper today, the relative said: “When we tried to go in there to pick them up, he pushed me and my mother out of the garden.”
“When we got there, and when that man was pushing me out the gate… the little boy (eight years old) broke the cable ties with his hands and then just jumped over the fence and ran down the road. road.
“It was just annoying, we were so angry at (the tradie) that we were just shouting at him, telling him to let them go, but he just didn’t want to listen to us.”
The relative added that one of the immobilized children stated that their captor told them that he was going to “hit them with a big stick.”
In the video, Radelic can be heard complaining to the person who recorded it as he sought to justify his actions.
“They’re on my property,” he roared.
“It’s not the first time, six times (this has happened).”
The children were eventually released by police officers who arrived at the scene and were then assessed by paramedics from St John Ambulance before being reunited with their family.
Meanwhile, Radelic was arrested and taken to prison for questioning.
Witness Leandra McKenzie said The children were in a clear state of distress.
“They were scared, they were crying, they were shaking and they were singing for their mother,” he said.
“It would have been more than an hour… we were yelling at him to tell them to release them, but he didn’t give up.”
Western Australia (WA) Children and Young People Commissioner Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said she was “horrified” by the images.
‘It seems that these are very young children. Under the circumstances, they seem quite scared. He’s a pretty big man. And they seem to be very nervous,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
‘These children are only six and seven years old. They do not have the neurological development to understand cause and effect, consequences and actions. And that is legally known.’
WA Greens senator and former police officer Dorinda Cox said the images were disturbing and confronting.
“We can never accept that children as young as six are humiliated, that their tiny wrists are tied and they are left to cry in the sun,” he said.
“As a mother, watching these children beg for their freedom and beg in fear was like witnessing a slow replay of the historic racial abuse experienced by previous generations of First Nations people.”
Rowena (pictured), mother of children Stuart, seven, and Margaret, six, said the shopkeeper’s alleged actions were a “disgrace” and, in desperation, she asked him if he had children of his own to consider how they would cope. would feel in a similar situation. situation
In the video, Radelic can be heard complaining to the person recording it as he seeks to justify his actions.
Tradie who allegedly tied up children (pictured) has been arrested
WA Greens senator and former police officer Dorinda Cox (pictured) said the images were disturbing and confronting.
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Rod Wilde said Radelic’s use of force against the children was disproportionate.
“Children under 10 years old are not going to be criminally responsible,” he said.
“We are collaborating with the children’s parents… They are certainly interested in the judicial process taking its course.”
Wilde said police were initially contacted at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday by a neighbor who noticed children swimming in an “unoccupied” pool.
“About 10 minutes later, police received a call from a man who (allegedly) said he had restrained three children for causing damage in that backyard,” Deputy Commissioner Wilde said.
“Police responded and located two children at the time – one was gone – who had (allegedly) been tied up with wires at that location.”
Police alleged that a fourth child had also been in the pool, but managed to flee and alert family members about what was happening, prompting the young woman’s relative to confront Radelic outside the property.
In the wake of the incident, a spokesperson for local Aboriginal title group Nyamba Buru Yawuru called on Broome residents and service providers to show their support for the children involved and their families.
“Yawuru and our community are really concerned about these children,” Taliah Payne said.
“Our hope for the future is that we, as a community, come together and make sure Broome is a safe place for all our children.”