Warning: This story contains images of a deceased Indigenous person.
The man accused of murdering a five-year-old girl in Alice Springs will remain behind bars after being excused from attending his first court appearance this morning.
Jefferson Lewis was set to appear before Judge Anthony Hopkins in the Alice Springs Local Court via an audio-visual link on Tuesday but his Legal Aid NT lawyer, Mitchell Donaldson, requested he be excused.
The court hearing proceeded in his absence with Judge Anthony Hopkins acknowledging the child’s family.
“I just want to acknowledge that there may be family in the room, there may be family online and there are obviously other members affected within the courtroom and possibly listening,” he said.
“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 now time of deep sorry.”
Prosecutor Patrick Williams requested a lengthy adjournment to allow time to compile an extensive brief of evidence.
“Your Honour will appreciate there has been a very substantial police investigation into this matter, but there will be a very large amount of material on this brief,” he said.
No application for bail was made and the case was adjourned to July 30 for a preliminary examination mention. Lewis is also excused from appearing at his next court hearing.
The 47-year-old, who remains in custody in Darwin, is facing one charge of murder and two other charges that cannot be published for legal reasons.
Lewis is accused of taking the child, now known as Kumanjayi Little Baby, from an Indigenous town camp called Old Timers, late on April 25.
The “loving and gentle” little girl’s disappearance sparked a massive land and air search across central Australia.
Her body was found about five kilometres away, on the banks of the Todd River, just before noon on Thursday.
That night, Lewis – from the remote community of Lajamanu – was arrested at another Alice Springs town camp after being beaten unconscious by locals.
He was placed under guard at Alice Springs Hospital, where a large, angry crowd gathered while demanding he face traditional justice.
Lewis’s arrest sparked violent riots in which five emergency workers were injured, police vehicles and ambulances were damaged and local businesses were destroyed and ransacked.
Police were forced to evacuate Lewis to Darwin for his own protection in the early hours of Friday morning.
Following his police interview on Saturday, Lewis was charged with the murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby and other serious offences.
This morning, grieving members of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family – including her brother Ramsiah and grandmother Karen White – arrived at the Alice Springs courthouse minutes after proceedings concluded, according to News Corp.
They reportedly spoke with court staff and police before leaving the courthouse crying.
13YARN 13 92 76
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
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