Shattered dad’s harrowing vigil after his wife allegedly murdered their son, 5, and stabbed their two young infants – as tragic new details emerge: ‘Family is shaken, everyone is shaken’
The father of three young children allegedly attacked by their mother has kept a bedside vigil as his two surviving children continue to fight for their lives.
His wife, 42, who can’t be named for legal reasons, is accused of murdering their son, five, and attempting to murder his siblings, aged one and three, in a quiet street in Valley Heights, near Springwood in the NSW Blue Mountains.
The boy died at the scene, while paramedics treated the mother and the two younger children before they were taken by road to Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Since then, the children’s distraught father, along with his extended family, has remained at the hospital supporting the children, who are in a critical but stable condition, as they receive treatment for their injuries.
A source close to the family told the Daily Mail the man was completely blindsided by news of his wife’s alleged attack on their three children while on a picnic daytrip.
‘It is so difficult to understand and it has been very confronting for him,’ they said. ‘The family is shaken, everyone is shaken.
‘He has been at the hospital taking care of the kids every day and we believe one of them went for surgery yesterday, that was the plan.
‘We are waiting now to hear how that went.’
The father of three young children allegedly attacked by their mother has kept a bedside vigil as his two surviving children continue to fight for their lives
The five-year-old boy died at the scene, while paramedics treated the mother and the two younger children before they were taken by road to Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
A source close to the family told the Daily Mail the man was completely blindsided by news of his wife’s alleged attack on their three young children
The family member revealed the father moved to Australia from Kenya in 2013 to continue studying biochemistry.
He met his wife, also of Kenyan heritage, after he arrived here and they later married in Australia.
As far as they were aware, there had never been any problems within their relationship.
They said they had no idea what could have triggered the alleged deadly attack and that her husband was still waiting to ‘hear from her’ about what happened.
On Tuesday, the woman appeared in Penrith Local Court via video link from her hospital bed while under police guard.
The woman, from Sydney’s Hills Shire area, faced three domestic violence-related charges, including one count of murder and two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
She was refused bail and is due to appear again on November 20.
It is understood the father, who was at work, thought his wife was taking their children out for a picnic.
Around 1pm on Sunday, the mother stopped her car on the side of the road next to the entry of the Valley Heights Waterfall track.
It is not known if she had planned to walk to the popular swimming hole with the children, but police say she had no previous links to the Blue Mountains area.
Around 1pm on Sunday, the mother stopped her car on the side of the road next to the entry of the Valley Heights Waterfall track
It is not known if she had planned to walk to the popular swimming hole with the children, but police say she had no previous links to the Blue Mountains area
Moments later police allege she stabbed all three of her children as they sat strapped into their car seats in the back of her white MG-HS SUV while parked on a grass verge.
Police allege she then turned the knife on herself.
Local resident Julie Sukkar initially believed the commotion just metres from her front door was the aftermath of a traffic accident.
But when she went outside, she saw the vehicle parked on the grass verge of a vacant block with its doors open and the three children inside, while their mother lay nearby in bushes.
‘One of the children, a little girl, a baby, had a beautiful pink and white flower dress on,’ Ms Sukkar told the Daily Mail. ‘I noticed that as they pulled her out of her car seat.
‘I only thought there were two children at first, but there were three of them in there.
‘The woman on the ground was yelling, screaming and thrashing about. I’m not sure what she was saying, or if she was trying to say anything.
‘She was covered in blood and had some really bad injuries.’
Local resident Julie Sukkar initially believed the commotion just metres from her front door was the aftermath of a traffic accident
Ms Sukkar said police initially handcuffed the mother before later removing the restraints as she was stretchered into an ambulance
But amid the frantic activity around the car, it was the children’s silence that Ms Sukkar found particularly difficult to witness.
‘The children were quiet,’ she said. ‘They were not screaming or crying. They were not moving.
‘That was hard to see. The police and the ambulance were here fast, and they did such a good job.’
Ms Sukkar said police initially handcuffed the mother before later removing the restraints as she was stretchered into an ambulance.
‘They took them off pretty quickly, once they realised she was no danger to anybody,’ she said.
READ MORE: Horror details emerge after Sydney mum allegedly stabbed her three children – killing one: Witness speaks out
