Father charged over horrific stabbing death of 5-year-old boy

Police have charged the father of a five-year-old boy killed in Sydney on Friday with the boy’s murder. 

New South Wales Police released a statement saying that a 36-year-old man, who was the father of the little boy, had been charged with murder (DV), which stands for domestic violence, and had been refused bail. He is due to appear in court in Parramatta in western Sydney on Saturday.

Emergency services were called to a home in Carlingford in north-west Sydney on Friday morning after the boy’s grandmother dialled 000 to report the attack. The woman, 60, had fled the home with the injured child but called for help just streets away when she realised the extent of the boy’s stab wounds. He was taken to Westmead Children’s Hospital where attempts to save his life failed.

Read more: ‘Heroic’ grandma praised for trying to save grandson

The grandmother, who was treated for shock, was praised by police for her bravery in attempting to save the little boy, adding that there was nothing more she could have done to prevent his death. “She’s been presented with something terrible, and done her best to get the young boy to safety and to get him treatment,” Police Superintendent Rob Critchlow told news outlets. “We’re grateful to her for what she did do at the scene.”

Neighbours told the ABC that the man and his son lived with the man’s mother at her home, although the ownership of the home wasn’t made clear in the police statement.

The boy’s mother wasn’t at the house at the time but rushed to the hospital when she learned of the attack. Neighbours also told the Daily Telegraph that they were shocked by the killing, saying that the family had appeared happy, with the five-year-old regularly playing with other local children. 

Can you imagine being in such a horrible situation with your grandchildren? Would you have the presence of mind to react like the grandmother did?