Protesters rally outside the Goondiwindi courthouse.
Protesters rallied outside the Goondiwindi courthouse, after a magistrate handed down a fine to a man and his son who tied a noose around the neck of an Aboriginal teenager. (ABC)
Anger at $800 fine for noose assault
Protesters have condemned the sentence handed to a man and his son who tied a noose around the neck of an Aboriginal teenager and assaulted him in southern Queensland.
There were angry scenes outside the Goondiwindi courthouse when the magistrate imposed the fines.
David Hillary Tomkins, 44, and his son Clint William Tomkins, 24, pleaded guilty to one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Grafton told the court that on November 30 last year the Tomkins returned to the Toomala property to discover several young people trespassing.
The court heard the Tomkins caught one of the youths, a 16-year-old, near the adjoining McIntyre River, looped a rope around his neck and dragged him up the riverbank to a waiting ute.
The teenager suffered minor cuts and bruising around the neck.
Defence solicitor Robbie Davis said his clients were using reasonable force to restrain him but were wrong to place the rope around his neck.
Magistrate Dennis Buttel fined the Tomkins $800 each. 'Justice not served'
The decision has angered protesters outside the court, with Indigenous activist Ray Robinson saying justice was not served today.
"Everyone witnessed now the justice system in Queensland and how they treat Aboriginal people," he said.
The victim's mother says the decision is unfair and the family will consider an appeal against the sentence.
Gulf Aboriginal activist Murrandoo Yanner says the leniency of the decision is outrageous, shocking and unconscionable.
He says it again exposes serious biases in the legal system against Indigenous people.
"I bet if two blackfellas had gone out and done that to two or three white children we would not be receiving an $800 fine," Mr Yanner said.
"That alone is the essence of the proof of racism.
"You can't imagine two blacks being let off with $800 fine for doing a similar thing, that's impossible in this state." Print-friendy versionPrint Send to a friendEmail
