WA nurse stood down over 'disgusting' racist Facebook rant
A nurse has been stood down from a northern WA hospital after he made a series of expletive-riddled comments, threatening violence against children on social media.
Kevin Naughton responded to comments about children breaking into towns around Broome by encouraging those affected to bash the children “within an inch of their useless, worth lives”.
“F*** this do-gooder s***, let’s f*** these c**** u, we’ve got bull-bars for a reason (haha we all know the joke),” he wrote underneath a post on a Broome community Facebook page last Friday night.
"Just f***ing bash them within an inch of their useless, worthless lives, they are nothing more than rats or cockroaches," he wrote.
"These c***s rooting their own daughters."
The bull bar comment sparked fury amongst the region's indigenous community, after it was interpreted as a reference to the death of Indigenous teenager Elijah Doughty, who was hit and killed by a man trying to retrieve a stolen motorbike, the ABC reported.
"Broome has historically been a very multicultural community, but no child anywhere should fear threats from an adult," Marlikka Perdrisat wrote in response.
"I thought that at the least Australia could learn from Elijah's case, but instead people are making jokes and encouraging criminal behaviour in Broome."
Issuing a strongly worded apology the next morning, Mr Naughton said he was intoxicated when he made the “disgusting and completely inappropriate comments”.
"I apologise sincerely for my disgusting and completely inappropriate comments I posted last night while intoxicated. Reading them back absolutely appals me and are not a true reflection of how I feel or who I am,” he wrote.
"My comments were completely independent from WA Country Health Service and in no way affiliated with Broome Hospital. I sincerely apologise."
However, the damage was already done and he was stood down immediately by the WA Country Health Service.
Kimberley MP Josie Farrer said being intoxicated was no excuse and that someone who holds such views should not be employed to work with children.
