The teenage son of a burly tradie who chained Aboriginal children with cable ties because he caught them trespassing has defended his father and lashed out at attempts to buy the children a swimming pool as “rewarding trespassing”.
Matej Radelic, 45, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault on Tuesday after a disturbing video was uploaded to Facebook showing three children crying for their mother outside a property on Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia.
The children had jumped the fence of the vacant property to swim in the pool before Radelic, whose parents own the house, caught them and made the bizarre citizen’s arrest.
In the video, which sparked a national outcry, the children’s mother, Rowena, could be heard crying as she asked Radelic to release Margaret, six, Stuart, seven, and another boy, eight, as he stood over them stood around and refused to let them go until the police arrived. arrived.
Now Radelic’s traditional son Luka has hit back with a video on social media showing the same property with broken windows, along with the message: ‘This is NOT an issue of race. It’s a crime problem.’
Luka – who, like his father, works in air conditioning – also lashed out at community fundraising efforts to give the children their own swimming pool.
In the photo: Luka Radelic, the son of a tradie who tied up Aboriginal children with cable ties
Pictured: Matej Radelic with two children, Margaret and Stuart, tied up in his parents’ driveway
He posted a screenshot of the purchase during a community campaign of a backyard pool set up for the kids, with the caption: “Rewarding trespass?”
Luka also shared photos of several broken windows at the family home, writing: “Six times. Thousands of dollars in damage. We didn’t need this.’
It looked like a rock had been thrown through the sliding glass door. “Why does anyone feel the need to do this?” he asked.
He then suggested that local vandals use “pavement stones, helmets, metal bottles, anything they could find” to destroy property.
“This is NOT an issue of race. It’s a matter of crime. Thank you media,” he wrote.
His father said earlier this week that the situation was not racially motivated and said he regrets his actions.
Luka’s video appeared to be composed of older footage.
The vacant building appeared intact when Daily Mail Australia visited on Friday.
Pictured: A screenshot of a social media post from Luka Radelic, who suggested a community fundraiser for the children was ‘rewarding transgression’
In the photo: Matej Radelic standing in front of broken glass on the same site
Luka Radelic defended his father’s actions on social media, saying the incident was about crime, not race
Members of the local indigenous community saw Radelic senior’s actions as an act of racism.
The tradie denied this and told the media that the incident was not racially motivated and that he regretted the way the situation had developed.
An Indigenous group on Facebook was outraged by Luka’s video, noting that the children had not been charged with damaging property.
“Luka Radelic decided to post his stories and gave us a ‘special mention,’” the Facebook post said.
“The man … who kidnapped the children and tied them up with cable ties, (his son) thinks this is acceptable.”
‘Holding children against their will and tying them up with cable ties is not okay.’
Whining and scared, the children were tied up with cable ties after being caught swimming in the pool
Everyone in Broome that Daily Mail Australia spoke to acknowledged the high crime rate, but the children’s relative, Roberta Cox, said Margaret and Stuart did not participate in vandalism.
“They weren’t stealing or anything, they just wanted to swim in the pool,” she said.
Ms Cox was at the scene at the time of the incident and called police.
She said the children are “traumatized” and that Radelic could have handled the situation very differently.
“The zip ties were too tight and I could tell: one was bleeding and they were crying,” she said.
Radelic was charged and granted bail to appear at Broome Magistrates Court on March 25.