Thomas Coutts (colonist)

Thomas Coutts (11 December 1797 – 14 January 1868) was an Australian colonist who emigrated from Scotland during the 19th century, establishing various enterprises including whaling and pastoral farming businesses. He is best known for perpetrating a mass poisoning of Aboriginal Australians on a property near the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, which killed at least 23 people. Although Coutts was arrested for this crime, the judicial authorities never put the case to trial and he was released after the payment of bail. Coutts afterwards became a prosperous and respected colonial figure. The town of Coutts Crossing is named after him.