Two men denied bail over violent Yuendumu disturbance
Auf einen Blick
- Two men, Nehemiah Watson, 19, and Ryan Woods, 36, have been denied bail after allegedly participating in a violent armed disturbance in Yuendumu, Central Australia.
- The incident involved multiple vehicles being torched, and both men face charges including arson and rioting.
- Investigations are ongoing.
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Warum es wichtig ist
Two men have been arrested and denied bail following a violent armed disturbance in Yuendumu, Central Australia, which involved vehicles being torched. The unrest is believed to have been sparked by the death of a person known to those involved.
In short:
Two men have been arrested after allegedly taking part in a violent armed disturbance, which saw vehicles torched in Yuendumu in Central Australia.
Nehemiah Watson, 19, and Ryan Woods, 36, appeared in court in Alice Springs today, where both were denied bail.
NT Police is continuing to call for witnesses to the incident.
A 36-year-old father-of-five and a teenager have been denied bail over their alleged involvement in a violent disturbance in the remote Central Australian community of Yuendumu.
NT Police said they received multiple reports around 1am on Saturday of a large group of people rioting in Yuendumu, about 300 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.
Some of those involved in the disturbance were allegedly armed with weapons.
Police said multiple vehicles were set on fire, two of which were completely destroyed.
Officers said in a statement that after they dispersed the crowd, the two men were subsequently arrested and remanded.
The pair, Nehemiah Watson, 19, and Ryan Woods, 36, a Yuendumu artist and footballer, have been charged with a string of offences including arson, going armed in public, recklessly endangering serious harm, taking part in a riot and damaging property.
No serious injuries were reported during the unrest.
In Alice Springs court today, Mr Woods' legal team sought bail for their client to live in the outback town of Yulara, on the grounds that he had significant cultural obligations to attend to, including upcoming funerals and arrangements to repatriate a body.
Judge Jonathan Bortoli acknowledged this but ultimately found the risk of Mr Woods reoffending and failing to appear in court for future dates outweighed those considerations.
"The presumption against bail has not been overcome and bail is refused," he said.
Judge Bortoli heard that at the time of the incident, Mr Woods was already on a suspended sentence and had a long criminal history.
The court also heard the Yuendumu unrest was believed to have been sparked by the death of a person known to those involved.
The second man, Mr Watson, was also refused bail and remanded until his next hearing via video-link on August 20.
NT Police said investigations into the incident are ongoing and have urged anyone with information to contact them.
Offene Fragen
- What was the exact cause of the initial death that sparked the unrest?
- Are there other individuals involved who have not yet been identified or arrested?
- What is the current state of community relations in Yuendumu following the incident?
