Trio faces 18 charges over Gympie land rights protest

THE trial over the alleged assault of Gympie Regional Council staff by three aboriginal activists during a land rights protest in Mary St starts today, almost three years after the incident.

Wit-boooka (pictured above), legally known as 53-year-old Gary Roy Tomlinson of Southside, Djaki Widjung (Diane Patricia Redden-King), 61, of Curra, and Djaa 'mee Gular Djan du Kabi (Mervyn Alfred James Tomlinson), 54, of Curra, pleaded not guilty yesterday to 18 charges stemming from the protest, which allegedly turned violent, at the council's Mary St office on May 31, 2016.

The trio are alleged to have unlawfully entered the council's property aiming to cause "reasonable fear to (Gympie Mayor) Michael William Curran".

LAND RIGHTS: Activist Wit-boooka with co-accused and supporters as their claim to own Gympie region goes through the courts. — Activist Wit-boooka with co-accused and supporters at a previous court appearance in Gympie. Arthur Gorrie

Eight of the charges before Gympie District Court are against Wit-boooka, who is accused of assaulting five people including Cr Curran, council CEO Bernard James Smith, infrastructure services director Dimitri Scordalides, then-Senior Constable Daven Bruce Richards, and Diana Elizabeth White.

Djaki Widjung and Djaa 'mee Gular Djan du Kabi are also accused of assaulting Cr Curran and causing bodily harm.