WA News

Mother of Elijah Doughty allowed out of jail to attend funeral in Kalgoorlie

The mother of a 14-year-old boy killed in Kalgoorlie-Boulder last month will be allowed out of jail to attend his funeral on Tuesday afternoon.

Elijah Doughty, whose death sparked racial riots in the Goldfields town, will be farewelled at a service, a month after he was killed after being hit by a ute while riding a stolen motorbike.

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WA Police have sent extra personnel to the region for his funeral but don't expect any trouble, while the Department of Corrective Services said Elijah's mother, Petrina Annette James, who was jailed in March for burglary and stealing offences, would be allowed to attend her son's funeral unless tensions boiled over again.

Last month's violence on Kalgoorlie's main street exposed a deep racial divide between local residents after a crowd disrupted court proceedings of the 55-year-old man charged in relation to Elijah's death.

Angry protesters broke the gates at the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court and were pepper sprayed and arrested while police riot squads were pelted with rocks and bottles outside the courthouse, which was forced into lockdown as the violence escalated.

Shopkeepers along the town's bustling main road, Hannan Street, were forced to shut their businesses.

Teenager Elijah Doughty was well liked and a talented football player.
Teenager Elijah Doughty was well liked and a talented football player. Photo: Facebook/@Elijah Doughty

Elijah's grieving family were outraged the man accused of chasing him in a Nissan Navara along a bush track in Boulder, was charged with manslaughter and not murder.

The teenager, who celebrated his 14th birthday shortly before he was killed, was a talented local footy player and was due to play in a grand final the week after his death.