Death of Elijah Doughty

On 29 August 2016, Elijah Doughty, a fourteen-year-old Indigenous Australian, was involved in a fatal traffic collision with a ute whilst riding a stolen motorbike. The driver of the ute, a 56-year-old white man, was also the owner of the motorcycle, which he had reported stolen the previous day.

The driver was subsequently charged with manslaughter but was acquitted on 21 July 2017 after a trial at the Supreme Court of Western Australia; however he was found guilty of the lesser charge of dangerous driving causing death.

Incident

The driver was the owner of the stolen motorcycle which Doughty was riding. He had followed Doughty in his Nissan Navara ute along a dirt-track in the Gribble Creek area of Boulder. A collision subsequently took place in which Doughty was killed after suffering severe injuries to his neck, chest, pelvis and right leg.

Immediate aftermath

The following day, a protest occurred outside the Kalgoorlie Courthouse. Approximately 200 people, some armed with rocks and bottles, broke down the gates of the court and surrounded police; who used pepper spray and riot shields in response. Twelve police officers were injured during the disorder, with one requiring stitches, while several demonstrators were arrested. Five police cars and a local business were damaged.^[1]

Local Indigenous broadcaster Debbie Carmody accused local anti-crime Facebook groups of "inciting violence and murder" against Indigenous youth.^[2]

Investigation and trial

The ute driver was charged with manslaughter and pleaded not guilty after his offer to plead guilty to the lesser charge of dangerous driving causing death was rejected by the state.^[3]

The trial was held in the Supreme Court of Western Australia from July 17 to July 21 2017.^[4]

During the trial, the ute driver, who cannot legally be identified, stated he had not intended to hit Doughty and claimed that Doughty had "veered in front of him". The driver admitted however he could not prevent the collision because he was driving too close to the motorbike.^[5]

On 21 July 2017, the jury in the trial found the driver not guilty of manslaughter but convicted him of dangerous driving occasioning death. Following the verdict, members of the public gallery screamed abuse at the defendant and the jury; the court was briefly adjourned to allow their removal by security.

Supporters of Doughty, watching the proceedings in Kalgoorlie via video link, protested the verdict, many wearing t-shirts with the Black Lives Matter slogan. The protest was described by journalists as vocal but peaceful.

Aftermath

Following the jury verdict on July 21, a number of rallies and vigils were held across Australia to call for justice for Elijah Doughty.^[6] A crowd of approximately 150 protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 24 July 2017 while chanting "What do we want? Justice. What have we got? Fuck all."^[7] Some protestors allegedly vandalised the windows of the Supreme Court by spreading red ochre, while one woman screamed "This is the blood of Aboriginal people, don't wait for this to be your children's."^[8] On 26 July 2017, protestors in Brisbane sat on the road to block the intersection of Albert St and Adelaide St.^[9] Another protest took place in Melbourne on 28 July 2017, in which protestors marched to Flinders Street railway station then sat on the road and started a fire in a metal drum for the purpose of a smoking ceremony,^[10] blocking one of the city's busiest intersections.^[11] One man was arrested and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade extinguished the fire.

On 30 July, comedian Chris Lilley apologised for reposting a controversial video a few days after the verdict. It was a music video titled "Squashed Nigga" and was part of his 2011 TV comedy series, Angry Boys. It featured his fictional character S.mouse singing about an Aboriginal boy who had died from being run over by a truck and the video included a boy lying on a road. Many criticised the timing of the posting, however Lilley insisted there was no relation to "current news stories".^[12][13]

References