Footage of four armed police officers attacking a teenage boy while he is pinned on the ground has shocked locals in one of Australia’s most idyllic holiday towns.
Police were called to a backpackers hostel in Byron Bay, in far-north New South Wales, on January 11 following reports a naked man was ‘acting erratically’.
And in video shared by A Current Affair, officers can be seen violently attacking the boy, later confirmed to be 16 years old, with batons and fists.
The teenager was allegedly under the influence of either drugs or alcohol and could be heard yelling for water around 2am, before police arrived.
Footage of four armed police officers attacking a teenage boy while he is pinned on the ground has shocked locals in one of Australia’s most idyllic holiday towns, Byron Bay
The footage, filmed by terrified locals, shows four officers repeatedly hitting the 16-year-old and yelling ‘you f***ing loser’ at the boy
The attack is just one of many drug-related crimes and incidences police are having to deal with in Byron Bay, as the holiday hot spot is in the midst of a drug crisis.
The boy can be seen being forcefully held down by police in the video as they attempt to restrain him while he screams ‘please help’.
The footage, filmed by terrified locals, shows four officers repeatedly hitting the 16-year-old and yelling ‘you f***ing loser’ at the boy.
The boy then yells ‘I’m not resisting’ as police struggle to handcuff him.
Criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy said the excessive police force on the young boy was unnecessary, especially with the number of officers attending.
‘If it’s just a matter of handcuffing him with four officers there, I probably wouldn’t see the need for the repetitive baton strikes,’ he told the program.
Criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy (pictured) said the excessive police force on the young boy was unnecessary, especially with the number of officers attending
The attack is just one of many drug-related crimes and incidences police are having to deal with in Byron Bay, as the holiday hot spot is in the midst of a drug crisis
‘If you can’t justify what you’ve done, or if you can’t justify the use of force under law, then what you’ve done is unlawful.’
Witnesses told A Current Affair the teenager was not violent or threatening before police arrived.
However, a NSW police statement claims the boy was aggressive towards police and capsicum spray had to be used.
‘He then allegedly attempted to assault officers and an electronic control device had to be deployed,’ the statement read.
‘The teenager continued to violently resist officers until he was arrested and taken to Byron Bay Police Station. He was assessed by paramedics to ascertain what may have influenced his behaviour.’
Just a few weeks earlier, a naked Canadian tourist, who police thought was high on ice, was arrested after running down the middle of a busy Byron street.
There are fears a potentially deadly batch of the highly-addictive drug methamphetamine is being sold in the town after a spate of violent – and often bizarre – crimes (stock image)
He threw himself into a police car, shattering the windscreen, before he began headbutting a window as two officers sat inside the vehicle.
Police tasered the 23-year-old to no effect, before his friends finally helped the two officers subdue him.
Earlier, a 15-year-old Byron boy – again naked – was also arrested after running down the street and terrorising passers by.
Previously known as one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations and a second home to the likes of Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman, Bryon Bay is now gripped by a methamphetamine epidemic.
There are fears a potentially deadly batch of the highly-addictive drug is being sold in the town after a spate of violent – and often bizarre – crimes.
One addict told the Daily Telegraph scoring meth in Byron was as easy as ordering a takeaway meal over the phone, adding that there is ‘some pretty good stuff up here’.
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