A Perth DJ is behind bars in the US, charged with attempting to kidnap a toddler.
It’s alleged Roscoe Bradley Holyoake AKA DJ Roski tried to snatch a two-year-old boy as he walked with his mum in San Francisco last Friday afternoon, as Nine reports.
The woman had been holding her son’s hand and carrying another baby in a front pack as a man, believed to be Holyoake, allegedly grabbed the toddler. His mum then noticed and pulled the child free, triggering the man to run off.
Bystanders then reportedly chased him down until police arrived.
Holyoake has been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment, with a judge setting his bail at US$500,000 and placing a restraining order on him, which prevents him from going within 137 metres of the mother and her child.
However, the DJ’s defence lawyer, Stephen Olmo, has told the media he reckons the whole thing is a case of mistaken identity.
“It is my understanding [Holyoake] has no criminal record. He’s been in this country many times doing charitable work, DJ work, he was here on business for a few days prior to his arrest,” the lawyer said.
“I’m not sure he even picked up a child – I haven’t seen a video of that. I have no basis for these charges whatsoever,” he continued.
“I remind the presumption of innocence. You’ve seen the prosecutor naming the child as a ‘victim’. I object to that. That’s to be determined by a jury if there is a victim.”
Olmo added that his client was “upset” in prison.
“He’s a man that has no record,” he said. “He’s not used to conditions such as that. It’s also dangerous to be in a jail accused of such allegations.
34-year-old Holyoake has performed at Perth nightclubs, worked on Perth station RTR FM’s All Things Queer program and performed at other LGBTIQ+ events around Australia.
Australian man Roscoe Holyoake detained on $500,000 bail. He faces kidnapping and child endangerment charges. His lawyer says it could be a case of “Over zealous police work, mistaken identity, wrong place, wrong time, wrong colour”. pic.twitter.com/91U1cclX93
— Charles Croucher (@ccroucher9) April 16, 2019
