Shocking footage streamed live on Facebook showed Matej Radelic appearing to use plastic cables to tie the wrists of a girl aged just six and two boys aged seven and eight outside a house in West Broome Australiaon Tuesday afternoon.
Horrific images shared on the social media platform showed the children, whose hands were all tied together, sobbing as they were forced to sit on the concrete by an enraged man, in temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius.
The businessman, who oversees an air conditioning installation company, had allegedly caught the children swimming in an outdoor pool at his parents’ unoccupied home, which had been put up for sale. The 45-year-old is charged with three counts of assault and is due to appear in court on March 25. Meanwhile, his company’s website has been taken down after being ‘bombarded’ by negative reviews on Google from angry users who saw the video.
Rowena – mother of Stuart, seven, and Margaret, six, said Radelitz’s act was “disgraceful” and asked him if he had any children of his own to think about how they might feel in a similar situation. “Standing behind a fence and seeing my children tied up like that gave me a feeling of helplessness and made me think ‘what can I do?’ I just had to wait for the police,” he told Current Affair.
The video of the incident was recorded by a relative of the captive children and broadcast live on Facebook. She begged the assailant to release them, but he refused and said he would hold them until the police arrived.
The relative said the children knew it was wrong to enter the property but said they were “just kids” trying to cool off on a hot day. Recounting the ordeal in The West Australian newspaper earlier today, the relative said: “When we tried to go over there to get them, he pushed me and my mum out of the yard.
In the video, Radelic can be heard complaining to the person who recorded him as he tried to justify his actions. “They are on my property. Not the first time – six times [έχει συμβεί αυτό]” he said. The children were eventually released by officers who attended the scene and were later treated by St John Ambulance paramedics before being reunited with their family. Radelitz meanwhile was immediately arrested
Eyewitnesses said the children were clearly in a state of distress. “They were scared, crying, shaking and asking for their mommy. It would have been over an hour… we were yelling at him to let go, but he just wouldn’t put it down.”
Western Australia (WA) Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said she was “appalled” by the video. “It appears that these are very young and small children. They seem to be very frightened under the circumstances. He is quite a large man. And he seems to be very nervous,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
WA Greens senator and former police officer Dorinda Cox said the video was disturbing and confrontational. “We can never be okay with seeing children as young as six humiliated, with their tiny wrists tied, crying in the hot sun,” he said.
Brother Beleris: The goal of the Rama government was to prevent the municipality of Heimarra from changing hands – We will go to the Court of Appeal
Global shock from the extreme humanitarian crisis in Gaza – “Punch” in the stomach for the ossified children
Erdogan on Gaza: We are witnessing one of the biggest genocides of our century
#Man #tied #children #cable #punish