Tomkins Incident
The Tomkins incident on 30 November 2004 was an attack by two white farmers on two Aboriginal boys found trespassing on their property near Goondiwindi, a town on the border of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia.
David and Clint Tomkins, a father and son managing the farm, allegedly beat Alan Boland and Bevan Bartman and dragged Boland around the property with a noose around his neck. The incident occurred just four days after riots in the Aboriginal community of Palm Island, off the north Queensland coast, over the suspicious death of an Aboriginal man in police custody.
The local Aboriginal community was outraged when the Tomkins were handed down a A$500 fine each for their treatment of the four boys, who themselves were charged with break, enter and steal. The event made headlines in countries around the world, including the UK.
Read more about Tomkins Incident: The Assault, Police Behaviour, The Prosecution, The Verdict, Aftermath, See Also
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