Shock Court Update: ‘Substantial’ Evidence Emerges in Alleged Murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains an image of a person who is deceased.
The volume of evidence in the case against a man accused of murdering a five‑year‑old girl near Alice Springs is “very substantial”, a court has been told.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested on April 30 after a five-day manhunt in the Northern Territory and charged with the murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby.
There is a “very substantial” brief of evidence against Jefferson Lewis, a court has heard. NT Police
In Alice Springs Local Court on Thursday, NT Director of Public Prosecutions Pat Williams said “a very substantial” brief of evidence had been served on Lewis, who did not appear in court.
It included 76 witness statements, 48 segments of body-worn footage, drone footage, CCTV, a record of interview, Triple Zero calls, and a preliminary post-mortem report.
Prosecutors were awaiting another 20 police statements, and updated civilian witness statements, while a full post-mortem report was expected in the coming days.
“The major outstanding body of evidence relates to forensic evidence,” Williams said.
“The indication… is that there have been over 100 different forensic requests made in the matter for different pieces of testing.”
The soonest this would be available was November, he said.
The immediate family of Kumanjayi Little Baby, which is the name used in line with cultural tradition after her death, did not wish to attend court, Williams said.
However, some extended family members were waiting outside court.
The matter was adjourned to December 3, which Judge Sarah McNamara said would be purely procedural in nature.
Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing by her mother early on April 26, two hours after she was put to bed in a home at the Old Timers town camp in Alice Springs.
Kumanjayi Little Baby was allegedly murdered by Lewis. Supplied
The disappearance triggered a massive land and air search in central Australia before her body was found in bushland outside the town.
Lewis remains in custody and has not applied for bail.
He was arrested at another Alice Springs town camp after being beaten unconscious by locals and was placed under guard at Alice Springs Hospital.
A large, angry crowd gathered and demanded he face traditional justice, before he was flown to Darwin by the NT Police air wing for his own protection.
The alleged murder gained nationwide attention and fuelled days of unrest, including looting and attacks on emergency services.
An independent review released on July 21 found multiple red flags were missed by child protection authorities before her death.
A riot broke out in Alice Springs after Lewis was arrested as locals demanded he face traditional justice. Nine
Sweeping changes have also been recommended for the NT’s child protection system after the review found workers repeatedly failed to adequately assess safety threats to Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family.
The review, led by former NSW police commissioner Karen Webb, found the key issue in the Kumanjayi Little Baby matter was the timeliness and effectiveness with which risk was identified, assessed and responded to.
“Despite repeated indicators of domestic and family violence, the cumulative impact of the violence and its implications for the child’s safety were not adequately recognised and protective responses were not pursued in a timely manner,” it said.
Documents identified the presence of domestic violence in every referral the department received, the review found.
