Well, who coulda seen this one coming?
Mark Ellis, the One Nation candidate for the Queensland seat of Macalister, has pulled out of the race after a heated few days following a Channel Nine interview which exposed him as one of the Pinkenba Six – a group of cops accused of abducting several Aboriginal children in the 90s.
If you somehow missed the Nine bit, here you go.
He’s the One Nation candidate gunning for public office, but Logan businessman Mark Ellis knows he can’t escape his past. @RMorrison9 #9News pic.twitter.com/MrLd9k16yV
— Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) April 21, 2017
Ellis, along with his cop mates, picked up three Aboriginal youths from Fortitude Valley in 1994, before driving them 15 kilometres out of town into bushland and dropping them off, forcing them to walk home without shoes. It was alleged at the time that one of the officers threatened to cut the boys fingers off.
The charges were eventually dropped, leading to national outrage. One wonders the kind of entitlement that makes one believe they’re qualified to run for public office despite admitting that he did what he was accused of.
“I would have honestly thought that something that happened 30 years ago, that got thrown out of court, shouldn’t be an issue,” Mr Ellis told Nine in the interview. Note: it was not 30 years ago, not that it matters remotely when it comes to considering whether he should hold public office.
The Guardian is also running claims from a former employee that Ellis had threatened to kill him. They also claim to be in possession of a photograph showing what “appears to be Ellis performing a Nazi salute before a large swastika mown into a backyard lawn in 2011.” So that’s nice too.
Ellis claims he’s dropping out of the race thanks to threats and harassment he’s received after the interview spread across the Internet. The timing – coming straight after The Guardian’s revelations about his alleged death threats to his employee – definitely seems interesting.
The constant abuse, harassment and threats to myself, my wife, my parents, and my friends — coupled with the damage to my business and my reputation are simply not worth it. I really don’t need the job that badly.Family has to come first. I am a big target for the leftie media and the pathetic haters due to my success and profile and even though I’m personally okay — it’s starting to hurt people close to me.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Source: Courier Mail.
Photo: Nine.
