A witness has claimed they saw three men allegedly attack an Indigenous girl in Cairns before returning to the scene, where police had arrived and placed the woman under arrest.
The incident occurred near Mount Sheridan Plaza at approximately 9:15pm on Monday night, when the witness and their family were driving through the area.
The witness said they initially thought the men were trying to catch an animal however realised it was a person on the ground.
"At first we thought these men were maybe grabbing an animal," the witness told National Indigenous Times.
The three men were allegedly armed and repeatedly striking the girl, a 14 year-old.
"One of them had a stick and then one of them was pretty much kicking the girl in the head as she's laying down defenceless," they said.
The witness said one man restrained the girl while another stomped on her head.
After circling the roundabout, they saw that police had arrived at the scene.
It was at this stage that the witness' daughter began recording footage.
The video shows three shirtless men standing over the girl as officers stood her up and handcuffed her.
"She's trying to explain like that these three men have come and started on her … they've just still handcuffed her and chucked her in the back of the police car," the witness said.
The witness said one of the men left in a car when police arrived, while two remained nearby.
They described the incident as confronting, particularly for their children who were in the vehicle.
"My daughter was pretty pissed off at what she had saw, like feeling sorry for the girl, because she was defenceless," they said.
It is not clear whether police questioned the men at the scene.
The witness said violence against women, particularly Indigenous women, is a serious problem in the region.
"It is very strong up here. Definitely towards women, especially with our mob," they said.
National Indigenous Times contacted the Queensland Police Service for comment.
Note: This report was updated on September 25 to reflect the victim's age.
