Mother charged over fatal stabbing of child in Australia's Blue Mountains
A mother in Australia's Blue Mountains has been charged with murder after allegedly fatally stabbing her five-year-old child and seriously injuring two other children. She remains in custody awaiting her next court date.
Emergency services in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales were called on Sunday after reports that three children and a woman had been found with stab wounds inside a vehicle in Valley Heights. Police said bystanders who arrived first attempted first aid while alerting emergency services.
A five-year-old child died at the scene. Two other children, aged one and three, were taken to Westmead Children's Hospital, where they remain in critical but stable condition. The 42-year-old woman was taken to Westmead Hospital.
On Tuesday, the woman was charged with murder in a domestic violence context, along with two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder. She was denied bail and will remain in custody until her next court appearance next month.
Police said the woman had no prior police record and that investigators are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.
A devastating weekend
The alleged attack capped a grim weekend across New South Wales, during which three women were allegedly murdered in their homes within a 12-hour span on Saturday. Police deputy commissioner Peter McKenna described the weekend as devastating, saying he could not recall a period like it in his career. He said that combined with the Blue Mountains tragedy, the events were almost unfathomable.
