An Australian father has been charged with the murder of three of his children and the attempted murder of the rest of his family in a house fire.
The blaze claimed the lives of a five-month-old girl, a two-year-old boy, and a six-year-old boy. Three other boys and a girl, aged between four and eleven, along with their mother, survived.
The 28-year-old man faces three counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and one charge of destroying property with the intent to endanger life. He is currently in the hospital under police guard.
The incident has shocked the nation, coinciding with Australia’s government declaring domestic and family violence a “national crisis.”
Police allege that the father started the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning and obstructed rescue efforts. He did not apply for bail during his court appearance on Thursday, represented by his lawyer.
New South Wales Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty described the case as “one of the worst cases of filicide” in the state.
Filicide refers to a parent intentionally killing their children. Det Supt Doherty stated that the father allegedly used an accelerant like petrol to start the fire and locked all the doors to trap his family inside.
Police claim that the father also disrupted rescue attempts by neighbors and first responders.
In one instance, he was reportedly “holding on to” one of the children, requiring first responders to “wrestle the boy from his grasp.”
The five-month-old girl was found deceased by paramedics. The two- and six-year-old boys were rescued in critical condition but died shortly after reaching the hospital.
Police praised the bravery of the neighbors who assisted in the rescue, including Jarrod Hawkins, who lives across the street and pulled three children from the flames.
The mother has been released from the hospital, and her four surviving children are in stable condition.
Source-BBC
