Jefferson Lewis excused from appearing in court over alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby
The Guardian World ·
Jefferson Lewis, the man accused of murdering five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby near a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory last week, has been excused from his …
Jefferson Lewis, the man accused of murdering five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby near a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory last week, has been excused from his first court appearance. Lewis, 47, was expected to appear in the Alice Springs local court via video link on Tuesday morning, charged with murder and two other charges that cannot be published for legal reasons. Instead, he was excused from appearing the request of his lawyer, Mitchell Donaldson from Legal Aid NT. Donaldson did not apply for bail for his client and asked for Lewis to be excused from the next hearing, which was granted. In court, Judge Anthony Hopkins began the hearing by acknowledging Little Baby’s family. “I will just begin by acknowledging the deep loss of Kumanjayi Little Baby, and of the family’s call for justice to take its course in this time of deep sorry,” he said. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Lewis was arrested on Thursday night last week, after a five-day manhunt following the alleged murder of the Warlpiri girl whose body was found 5km from the Old Timers town camp where she was taken. In court, prosecutor Patrick Williams requested an adjournment to allow time for a extensive brief of evidence to be compiled. “Your honour will appreciate there’s already been a very substantial police investigation into this matter,” he said. …
Original source: The Guardian World