Barefoot Beach muggers charged with robbery

(CNS): Following a recent police operation in East End, when three men were arrested in connection with the mugging of two tourists on a secluded beach along the Queens Highway, two have now been charged. 18-year-old Michael McLaughlin and 30-year-old Trent Bodden appeared in Summary Court on Thursday afternoon charged with the robbery, in which they were said to be armed with a knuckle duster and a baseball bat. The incident occurred around noon on Monday, 7 February, at Barefoot Beach when the couple, who were visiting from the US, were confronted by three men, all of whom had their faces covered by t-shirts.

One of the men grabbed the male tourist, placed him in a headlock and demanded cash. As the robbers made off from the scene they smashed the window of the couple’s hire car with the baseball bat and stole an underwater camera.