Body of 5-Year-Old Aboriginal Girl Found, Suspect Charged with Murder
Al Jazeera Staff
Australian police have charged Jefferson Lewis, 47, with murder in the death of five-year-old Aboriginal girl Kumanjayi Little Baby. The case has sparked protests and clashes with police in the remote town of Alice Springs, where an angry crowd demanded the suspect be handed over for punishment.
Police in Australia's Northern Territory said they have charged a man with murder in the killing of an Aboriginal girl, days after her death triggered protests in a remote town.
According to a police statement on Sunday, Jefferson Lewis, 47, faces two additional charges that cannot be publicly disclosed for legal reasons, related to the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby — the victim's name according to Aboriginal custom.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said from Alice Springs: "This is a terrible event and a horrific set of circumstances, and our thoughts remain very much with the family."
Police said Lewis was charged on Saturday evening and will appear in court in the capital Darwin on Tuesday.
The girl's death sparked protests of about 400 Aboriginal people near Alice Springs late Thursday, after the suspect was found by locals and beaten unconscious. Lewis has a prior record for assault and had recently been released from prison.
An angry mob clashed with police as Lewis was being treated at a hospital after his arrest. Protesters demanded the suspect be handed over for their own punishment. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and made several arrests, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The girl went missing from an Aboriginal community camp, prompting a massive days-long search on foot, horseback and helicopter in the surrounding bushland. Her body was found on Thursday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "This is the tragic outcome we all desperately hoped would not happen. No words can describe the pain the family is going through."
Robin Granites, a family spokesperson and elder of the Warlpiri Aboriginal group, said: "It is time for the funeral, to pay respects to our family and to have space to grieve and remember."
Australia has struggled for decades to reconcile with Aboriginal people, who have lived on the land for about 50,000 years and were brutally oppressed under British colonization. Aboriginal people make up 3.8% of the population and face discrimination, poor health and education outcomes, and high incarceration rates.
Thousands of people, including the victim and her family, live in community camps where housing and services are often inadequate. One-fifth of Alice Springs residents are Aboriginal.
