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Girls charged after brutal school brawl

A video of two teenage girls in a violent brawl with adults spurring them on has sparked a police investigation and charges.

The mobile phone vision taken at 3.30pm on Tuesday last week shows about 30 children and adults on Cassia Primary School oval in South Hedland at a “a fight club” event.

Children as young as 10 watched and many there were in Hedland Senior High School uniforms.

Onlookers screamed obscenities and encouraged the girls as they threw punches and scuffled on the ground.

Both girls have been charged with disorderly conduct and a further charge of assault has been levelled against the aggressor

in the fight.

A 17-year-old berated one girl for “writing s…t on Facebook about my babies” before kicking her in the face.

That girl has been charged with acts likely or intended to endanger the health and safety of others, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years jail.

Another said “that’s out” after the girl’s head hit a footpath and others yelled “rip her shirt off” and “you little troublemaker”.

The brawl was less than two minutes and an adult is heard to say: “You’ve got her now, let her go.”


Sen. Sgt Mick Hayes said police were now looking at those who organised, incited or contributed to the fight, including

the adults in the video.

One local parent, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution against her school-aged children, said the vision was disgusting.

She told of similar incidents last year and the year before.

She said parents or carers taking children to a public space after school for a brawl was appalling.

“One punch, one punch, one punch, that’s what keeps coming in my head,” she said. “The girl kicked her, what if it got her in the temple and it was all over for her in front of 30 people on the oval being filmed.”

Sen. Sgt Hayes said the adults involved should be ashamed.

“I’m sickened to think that adults in our community encourage children to engage in this way,” he said.


“It’s an abysmal way to show children how to conduct themselves.”

Hedland Senior High School principal John Burke said the behaviour was not a reflection on the school as a whole.

“From a school perspective, regardless of whether or not it happened outside school, kids need to be accountable for

their behaviour,” he said.

“The school has worked really hard over time to make sure that public image of the school and the behaviour within the
school is positive and that the behaviour of a few individuals isn’t reflective of the rest of our school community.”