Mayor charged with domestic violence offences

Savannah Meacham

2 July 2024 at 3:02 am·1-min read

A Queensland mayor is in custody after being charged with multiple domestic violence offences.

Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Wayne William Butcher was arrested following an alleged assault at a Lockhart River property, in the state's Cape York Peninsula, on Friday.

Police said the 53-year-old was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with six domestic violence offences.

The charges include one count of deprivation of liberty, two counts of choking, suffocation or strangulation, one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and two counts of common assault.

Mr Butcher's matter was in Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday and he was remanded in custody.

He is set to appear in court again on Thursday.

Queensland's Local Government Department confirmed it was aware of the allegations against Mr Butcher.

"The department is providing support and advice to the council and will make an assessment about next steps in due course," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Mr Butcher has been Lockhart River mayor since 2012.

Lockhart River is a remote Aboriginal community in Queensland's Cape York Peninsula with a population of 640 people.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

BBC
Arrest after man found with head injury in street
Police appeal for witnesses following the alleged assault on Midtown Close.
BBC
'Almost whole island homeless' in Hurricane Beryl's wake
Union Island, which lies off St Vincent and the Grenadines, has been devastated by the powerful hurricane.
Australian Associated Press
Ashes run out: Root's verdict bound to upset Bairstow
Twelve months on, England players have reflected quite differently to the infamous Ashes run out of Jonny Bairstow at Lord's than they did at the time.
NewsWire
Wedding singer accused of rape
At least eight women who met a wedding singer online have made sexual assault complaints against him, a court has been told.
Storyful
Victoria Police Retrieve Stolen Gorilla Statue in Melbourne
Police in Victoria, Australia, recovered a large gorilla statue from a residence in Melbourne on Monday, July 1, after it was stolen from a retirement village in early June.According to Victoria Police, the statue, which was dubbed ‘Garry’, was found when police narrowed their investigation to a residence in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir and deployed a helicopter to conduct a flyover of the property.“Needless to say our pilots went absolutely bananas when they spotted Garry the Gorilla from their aerial vantage point,” police said. A search warrant was subsequently executed for the residence on Monday and police found the statue soon after.Police said they would return Garry to his home at the entrance of Leith Park retirement village on Wednesday afternoon. Credit: Victoria Police via Storyful
Sky News
Ex-DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson facing seven more sex offence charges
Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is facing further sex offence charges, bringing the total to 18. The Northern Ireland politician has been charged with seven more offences after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) reviewed the police evidence, as is the normal practice. When he appeared in court in April, the ex-MP was accused of 11 sex offences.
Australian Associated Press
Ex-Home and Away star bailed, facing sentence delay
Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger has been released on bail as he faces a six-week delay on sentencing for a violent assault.
The Independent
Investigation reveals house of horrors on boat after dad arrested on child porn charges
Police said they uncovered a world of sickening abuse on Eric Cadogan’s houseboat
Yahoo News Australia
Brave tradie restrains driver after dramatic red-light collision
Shocking dashcam footage has captured the chilling moment a Mazda allegedly drove through a red light, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. Watch what happened.
BBC
Biker mum who stopped thief 'let down' by police
The taekwondo-trained mum wrestles a thief as he tries to steal her bike, but police do not arrive.
The Independent
Killer mom jailed for 1994 murder of her sons is giving phone sex to sugar daddies from prison
According to prison call recordings, Smith had sexual and romantic conversations with at least a dozen men in the past three years
Australian Associated Press
Girls arrested, boys flee after 'cowardly' fatal crash
Up to four males are on the run and two teenage girls are in custody after their allegedly stolen car crashed into another vehicle, killing the driver.
Sky News
Crocodile attack: Remains found of 12-year-old girl attacked while swimming in remote Australian creek
The remains of a 12-year-old girl attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a remote creek have been found by police in Australia. The unnamed child was reported missing at about 5.30pm local time on Tuesday shortly after she was swimming in Mango Creek, near Palumpa, a remote town of around 350 people seven hours by road from Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. It was reported that a black crocodile was seen in the immediate area, police told ABC Radio.
Sky News
Man found guilty of strangling wife in front of TikTok lover
Aminan Rahman, 46, was found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey on Wednesday of murdering Suma Begum, 24, in an east London flat on 29 April last year. Ms Begum's two children witnessed the killing, as did her online boyfriend via a video call from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was living. Rahman then stuffed Ms Begum into a suitcase while she was either dead or unconscious and was caught on CCTV dumping it in the River Lea, which runs through east London to the Thames.
Storyful
Carjacking Suspect Stops to Leave Victim's Toddler on Side of Busy Florida Roadway
Dashcam video released by police shows the moment a carjacking suspect stopped to leave his victim’s child
Storyful
Officer Collides With Suspected Burglar at Queensland Gas Station
A police officer in Eagleby, Queensland, barrelled head-on into a suspected burglar before arresting him in the early hours of Wednesday, July 3.Footage released by Queensland Police shows the confrontation outside the Metro Petrol station on Distillery Road.Police said they had been chasing a group of suspects overnight.Officers first attended a home on Arthur Way at around 3:10 am, after a man had tried and failed to gain access.They were then called to the service station on Distillery Road at around 3:40 am, after reports that three men had smashed a side window and gained entry to the property.One of the men was stopped and arrested by officers.It was not clear whether anything was taken.Investigations were ongoing. Credit: Queensland Police via Storyful
BBC
Man jailed over 39 lorry deaths to be deported
A total of 11 people have been convicted in the UK over the lorry deaths discovered in Essex.
NewsWire
Child vanishes in suspected croc attack
A child is missing in a remote part of the Northern Territory after a suspected crocodile attack on Tuesday afternoon.
Yahoo News Australia Video
Moment a car barrels through a red light in Brisbane
Queensland Police confirmed a 26-year-old Carseldine man was charged following the alleged traffic crash in Sunnybank Hills on Monday.
CNN
Woman accused of trying to drown 3-year-old Muslim child is rearrested after bond increased to $1M
A woman accused of trying to drown a 3-year-old Muslim and Palestinian child in an apartment complex pool in Texas has been rearrested, inmate records show.

Latest stories