Close friends of an Aboriginal policeman who stoned a wombat to death insist he shouldn’t be punished because his family ate the animal afterwards.
Waylon Johncock, a South Australian police community liaison officer, is under investigation over the disturbing footage shot on the Eyre Peninsula.
Indigenous elders maintain he was just exercising his traditional hunting rights as his ancestors had done for thousands of years using rocks.
His close friend Ricky Wanganeen posted a photo claimed to have been posted to Mr Johncock’s Facebook, proving the wombat was eaten.
A close friend of Waylon Johncock posted a photo claimed to have been posted to his Facebook, proving the wombat was eaten after he stoned it to death
The photo showed the carcass filleted into a dozen pieces sitting on a towel in his home ready to be eaten by his family.
‘Nice fresh wombat,’ the caption read, followed by an emoticon of a salivating face.
The Facebook thread provoked debate among Aboriginal people about whether Mr Johncock’s actions were justified or made a mockery of tradition.
‘He killed it to feast these other people killing it for the fun of it an letting it go to waste,’ Mr Wanganeen wrote.
‘I’ve been catching wombats for years like this – rocks, sticks, even used an axe at one stage.’
‘What we can’t hunt the way were were taught? The way our fathers, grandfathers etc have for thousands of years,’ another wrote.
Mr Johncock’s brother Matthew also jumped to his defence elsewhere in the Facebook comment thread.
SA Police confirmed on Wednesday that Mr Johncock had not been placed on leave and was working as normal during the investigation
Waylon Johncock, a South Australian police community liaison officer, is under investigation over the disturbing footage shot on Eyre Peninsula
However, others said that although Mr Johncock hunted the animal for food, he inflicted unnecessary suffering and laughed at its pain.
‘I think the way in which the wombat was killed is the issue. As an Aboriginal myself I was always taught by my elders when hunting to make sure the prey does not suffer in any unnecessary agony and to make the kill quick and clean,’ one wrote.
‘The way he killed that wombat will make a mockery of our traditional rights to hunt and gather traditional native food.’
Another added: ‘Traditional hunting does not need to be taken away, but a clean kill should always be the aim as should the consumption of the animal if that was the intent of the kill.’
The Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation, covering the area where Mr Johncock lives and works out of the Yalata police station, supported him as soon as the video emerged.
‘Under Aboriginal customary law, a person is entitled to hunt for food. If someone is not hunting for food and merely kills an animal for gratification, that is not acceptable under Aboriginal law,’ it said.
‘We are aware that the Aboriginal man in the video shared that animal with his family and it was eaten.
‘Wombat is a much sought after traditional food on the Far West Coast.’
Disturbing footage has emerged of an off-duty police officer stoning a terrified wombat to death and laughing about it
The off-duty police officer can be seen turning around and giving his friend a thumbs up before throwing the rock at the wombat’s head
The corporation said traditional food was shown to be better for Aboriginals than Western food.
Under the Native Title Act of 1993, Aboriginal people are allowed to maintain ancient customs such as hunting local wildlife.
The former SANFL player was widely condemned online and 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for him to be punished.
However, SA Police confirmed that Mr Johncock had not been placed on leave and was working as normal during the investigation.
SA Police’s social media pages were in the past day bombarded with dozens of comments demanding an update on the investigation.
‘The entire world is watching and waiting for justice to prevail. Nothing short of sacking and charging this individual will be accepted,’ one wrote.
‘We are waiting… we were promised an answer early this week,’ another wrote.
‘We all know that if this was one of us and not one of you he would’ve been dealt with by now.’
The video was taken on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, showing the off-duty officer repeatedly throwing rocks at the wombat’s head while being encouraged by a friend
Commissioner Grant Stevens on October 2 promised the investigation would be dealt with as a matter of urgency and with the ‘utmost seriousness’ and an update would be released early this week.
‘I find the actions portrayed in the footage to be totally abhorrent and unacceptable. I am aware of the community outrage regarding this matter,’ he said.
‘I want to reassure everybody that the actions in the video do not align with the values and behaviours I expect from my employees, nor does it align with community standards.
‘Numerous employees of South Australia Police have also expressed to me that they, too, find the footage detestable and not consistent with their values.’
Indigenous people in South Australia have traditionally killed wombats with rocks and Wirangu-Kokatha elder Jack Johncock said that this right must be preserved.
However, Ngarrindjeri elder Major Sumner said the officer’s actions in stoning the gentle animal while laughing hysterically were ‘wrong’.
‘We didn’t hunt like that. We still don’t hunt like that,’ the 71-year-old told The Advertiser.
‘If they’re saying it was hunting for food, you wouldn’t go and hunt a sheep like that (and) you wouldn’t go and hunt any cattle like that.
‘If you want to hunt something for food, it’s done in the most humane way and end their life straight away – it’s not a fun game for you.’
The disturbing footage showed Mr Johncock repeatedly throwing rocks at the wombat’s head on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
Mr Johncock, who was off-duty at the time, was seen getting out of a truck and chasing after the helpless wombat wearing nothing but his shoes and shorts.
Ngarrindjeri elder Major Sumner (pictured) said the officer’s shocking cruel actions in stoning the gentle animal was ‘wrong’
Mr Johncock has been in the South Australian Police Force for 10 years working as one of the state’s 36 Community Liaison Officers
The man behind the wheel told him to ‘get up close’ as he picked up a rock and hurled it at the animal as it tried to run away.
‘You’ve got him, you’ve got him, hit him, hit him,’ the man in the car could be heard saying as Johncock picked up another rock.
‘Kill him!’
As the man behind the wheel sped up to keep the headlights shining on him, Johncock gave a final blow causing it to topple over.
‘Yeah! You did it!’ the man in the car said. ‘First man I’ve ever seen kill a wombat on foot, bro.’
Mr Johncock has been in the South Australian Police Force for 10 years working as one of the state’s 36 Community Liaison Officers.
His time in the force has been spent helping non-Indigenous officers understand cultural and social issues within the community in order to bridge the gap.
Mr Johnock briefly played in the SANFL for Glenelg, but was a star player in country leagues around South Australia.
He won the league best and fairest awards in the Port Lincoln league in 2005 and the Far Western Football League in 2008, and kicked the winning goal after the siren in a grand final for Noarlunga in the Southern Football League in 2014.
Johncock’s time in the force has been spent helping non-Indigenous officers understand cultural and social issues within the community in order to bridge the gap