Australian man charged after allegedly using cable ties to detain children

A man from Western Australia is facing charges of aggravated assault for allegedly using cable ties to restrain three children. According to the police, he had tied up a six-year-old girl and two boys aged seven and eight after finding them swimming on an empty property.

A video circulating online shows two of the children tied up and crying, prompting outrage from state officials. The footage also shows onlookers urging the man to let the kids go. 

The incident occurred in Broome, about 2,000km north of Perth. The man, 45, reported the incident to the police on Monday, claiming he found the children in an unoccupied pool.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found two of the children physically restrained with cable ties, while the third had fled. Paramedics assessed the children, who were later reunited with their families.

The police stated that the force used to restrain the children was disproportionate given their age and vulnerability. 

Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, the state’s children’s commissioner, expressed her disturbance at the incident.