A disturbing video of a teenage boy being beaten in a Woolgoolga street has torn through the community this week, as police charge three people and a local Facebook page takes a stand against sharing the footage.
Officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District began inquiries after being told a 16-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted by four people at about 3pm on Saturday 8 August, in Backhouse Street, Woolgoolga. The boy suffered a fractured elbow and bruising to his face, back and arms after he was allegedly punched, kicked and beaten with a baseball bat.
An 18-year-old man and two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested about 10.30am on Tuesday 11 August and taken to Coffs Harbour Police Station. All three have been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, and affray. The 15-year-old has also been charged with failing to comply with a digital evidence access order.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear at Coffs Harbour Local Court on 14 September, and the 15-year-old was also granted conditional bail, to appear in a children’s court on the same day. The 16-year-old was refused bail and was due to appear in a children’s court today.
Police are continuing inquiries to identify a fourth person allegedly involved.
CCTV footage of the incident, filmed from a nearby house, is reported to show three teenagers attacking the boy, one wielding a baseball bat, while an adult allegedly connected to the trio watched on. Seven News aired a blurred version of the footage, and it has also been shared on social media.
That circulation prompted the administrators of the Woolgoolga & Northern Beaches Community Facebook page, which is run by the team at local community magazine Woopi News, to make a public call not to share it further. Lisa Nichols said she and fellow administrator Tegan had made the decision after weighing up what good it would do.
“Many of you will have seen, or heard about, the disturbing video circulating online showing a young local man being violently assaulted by a group of other young people, including one armed with a baseball bat,” Ms Nichols said.
“We haven’t made that decision because we don’t think what happened is serious. Quite the opposite. What is shown in that video is confronting, violent and absolutely unacceptable.
“But we have to ask ourselves: what good does sharing the actual footage do?”
Ms Nichols said the young man had been taken to hospital, and with police and the courts now involved, the page did not believe re-sharing the footage would help.
“The young man who was assaulted has been taken to hospital, police responded swiftly and those allegedly involved have been apprehended. From here, it is a matter for police and the courts,” she said.
Ms Nichols also moved to shut down rumours that had spread online about those involved and why the assault happened.
“Those involved are local Australians,” she said.
“There are also plenty of rumours circulating about why the assault happened. We aren’t going to repeat them because, at this stage, that’s exactly what they are – rumours.”
She said what had concerned the administrators almost as much as the video itself was the reaction to it online.
“What has concerned us almost as much as the video itself is what has followed it online – threats, calls for vigilante action, speculation, rumours and some truly horrible comments,” Ms Nichols said.
“We don’t believe adding another copy of that video to social media helps the victim, his family or our community. Nor do we want our page to become a platform that encourages further violence or retaliation.”
Ms Nichols said the page was not trying to bury the incident, and welcomed community members sharing their views on the decision, respectfully.
“People have every right to be angry and horrified by what happened. We certainly are,” she said.
“But the police have acted, and now we need to allow the legal process to do its job.”
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