Deckhands ‘Swam Croc-Infested Waters to Escape’ Skipper in Queensland

Deckhands were so scared of a far north Queensland fisherman they jumped in crocodile and shark-infested waters to escape, police say. A 47-year-old man has been charged with 46 offences including torture and slavery after allegedly abusing his young staff on his fishing boats for years. The fisherman has been accused of threatening and assaulting deckhands, even withholding food and water, since 2020 in Queensland’s remote Gulf Country. Six former employees – five men and a 25-year-old woman – have so far come forward, with some allegedly taking drastic action to evade the “well-known” fisherman. “Some of those complainants were in such fear of their lives and wellbeing that they actually dived from those boats and swam through crocodile and shark inhabited waters to the mainland to get off the boat,” Acting Inspector Jason Chetham told reporters....