A Sydney mother is expected to be charged with the murder of one of her children and the attempted murder of two others as police issue an urgent plea for the NSW government to throw every available resource at domestic violence following a spate of killings at the weekend.
The stabbing of the five-year-old boy and his two siblings inside a car in the Blue Mountains on Sunday afternoon was the fourth domestic violence-related death across the state in just over 24 hours and sparked calls from advocates for large-scale government investment in the sector.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said he can’t remember a weekend like this in his career and it's really overwhelming.
On Saturday, three women were allegedly killed by men known to them in a spate of attacks over less than 12 hours.
Just before midday, a 31-year-old man allegedly stabbed his female partner, 23, inside a Wagga Wagga home.
He was charged with domestic violence murder and refused police bail to face court on Sunday.
At 5.15pm, police were called to a Bondi Beach unit where a 47-year-old man, Sergei Mitnik, allegedly fatally stabbed his 90-year-old grandmother.
Mitnik’s lawyer, Javid Faiz, told a court on Sunday that his client’s mental state had been affected by the weight-loss drug Ozempic and asked that he undergo an urgent psychiatric assessment.
About four hours later, police were called to an incident at Mole Creek in the state’s north where they found the body of a 70-year-old woman, who appeared to have been decapitated, according to police sources familiar with the investigation but not authorised to speak publicly. The woman’s son has been charged with murder.
Cyclists found the children and their mother, aged in her 40s, with stab wounds while riding near Springwood about 12.45pm on Sunday before performing life-saving first aid.
The five-year-old boy died at the scene, while his siblings were taken to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, where they remain in a critical condition.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
