A 47-year-old man was officially charged in Australia on Sunday with the murder of a five-year-old girl in a case that sparked unrest in the Northern Territory city of Alice Springs. TASR informs about it according to the DPA agency and The Guardian newspaper. The accused man is Jefferson Lewis, who is due to appear in court in Darwin on Tuesday.
- Forty-seven-year-old Jefferson Lewis was accused of murdering a five-year-old girl.
- Kumanjayi Little Baby has disappeared from the Warlpiri community near Alice Springs.
- The child’s body was found after a five-day search on Thursday in the vicinity of the city.
- Lewis then turned himself in to the community, who beat him unconscious.
- During the riots, about four hundred people attacked the police, they used tear gas.
The poor little girl is known only as Kumanjayi Little Baby at the request of her family. She disappeared from the Warlpiri community near Alice Springs, where Lewis is said to have been staying, on Saturday night last week. Hundreds of rescuers and volunteers searched around the city for five days. The body of the girl was found on Thursday.
On the same day, Lewis surrendered himself to members of the indigenous community, who killed him they attacked and beat him until he was unconscious, police confirmed. The man was then taken to hospital in Alice Springs.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole confirmed that dozens of “angry people” attacked the police and rescue workers who intervened in the incident. The crowd then gathered in front of the hospital and tried to get inside. Around 400 people took part in the riots, with some accusing the police of protecting Lewis, DPA reports. Australian authorities also used tear gas during the intervention.
Several police officers and paramedics were injured, and several police cars and ambulances were damaged. Police said the situation has since calmed down and an investigation is underway after the riots.
Lewis also reportedly faces two other charges that have not been made public. An investigation is also underway to find out if he had any accomplices. The wider public, as well as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, expressed their condolences to the girl’s family, DPA adds.
