An Australian man, Matej Radelic, 46, has been found guilty of two counts of aggravated common assault after using cable ties to restrain children who were swimming in his backyard pool.
The incident, which took place in March on his Broome property, involved three distressed children aged six, seven, and eight. Images of the event drew global attention.
Prosecutors described Radelic’s actions as “dehumanising” and argued that his response was disproportionate given the circumstances.
However, Radelic’s lawyers claimed he had made a “lawful” citizen’s arrest, stating that the children’s actions constituted “trespass and criminal damage.”
The Broome Magistrates Court agreed that while the children’s behavior amounted to trespass, they were all under the age of criminal responsibility, which is 10 in Western Australia.
Magistrate Deen Potter found Radelic guilty on two of the three charges, acquitting him of one because the oldest child had been restrained for a shorter time and managed to escape.
Radelic received a fine of A$2,000 (US$1,368), suspended for 12 months.
During the trial, a call to emergency services was played in court, where Radelic told the operator the children were uninjured but “scared and crying.” The operator replied, “Yeah, no wonder.”
Radelic’s lawyer, Seamus Rafferty, argued that Radelic was a “victim of crime,” pointing out that his home had been broken into four times in the months leading up to the incident.
However, there was no suggestion that the children were responsible for those break-ins.
Rafferty acknowledged that using cable ties was “not a good look,” but maintained that it was legal. He emphasized that the case was not about race or vigilantism, noting that a responding police officer had described the incident as a lawful citizen’s arrest.
Police prosecutor Mícheál Gregg, however, argued that Radelic’s actions were unjustified since the children had complied with his request to leave the pool and sit down, making any use of force unnecessary.
Source-BBC
