Unstable father who killed five-year-old son thinking he was 'the devil' charged with murder
A 36-year-old father who has been accused of brutally murdering his five-year-old son was allegedly treated at two seperate mental health institutes and then turned away from the third one just days before his son was killed.
The man was charged soon after it was found that he had allegedly stabbed his son to death at a home in Carlingford, north-west Sydney, Australia. The alleged attack took place early on June 8.
The young child's grandmother was in hysterics and fled with the boy in her hands for about 400 meters before she finally remembered to dial the emergency services. Paramedics who responded to the scene immediately rushed the boy and his grandmother to the nearest hospital but the child, unfortunately, died of his injuries right after reaching the hospital.
Reports from The Daily Telegraph have said that the accused murderer had gone to a hospital in Sydney last week because he was getting more and more concerned with his mental health. It's been alleged that he was turned away from the facility. The man went on to murder his son just a few hours later.
The man had got himself treated for his mental health issues at two seperate mental health facilities over the last few months.
A mechanic by profession, the 36-year-old father reportedly told the authorities that he believed his five-year-old son was "the devil". He claimed that this is why he had attacked the young child after the mother left for work on June 8.
His grandmother, 60, was the one who found the "sweet boy" with stab wounds on his body and fighting for his life. She tried to save him by running away from the scene of the attack in desperation. Once she felt she was a safe distance away from the home, she called the emergency services.
The father appeared for his hearing at the Parramatta Bail Court on June 9 through a video link from the Amber Laurel Correctional Center. The court heard that the man's family has actually tried to find the father some help just a few days before he launched the alleged attack against his child.
9News reported that the father had only recently taken some personal time off of work. He was turned away from the third mental health facility that his family had tried to check him into because the facility did not have any more beds.
The grandfather of the child said: "There is a lot more to this." When the father appeared at the hearing through the video link, he was reportedly very confused and asked: "Where am I?"
Neighbors who live close to the home where the incident took place told the Daily Mail that the father "cared for that boy very much". One of the witnesses spoke about how the grandmother's attempt to get her grandson to safety as "brave".
Another neighbor who lived close by, Hank, told the publication: "He was a very sweet little boy. The relationship between the father and son was a doting relationship. [He] ran to his father when he wanted help."
Rob Critchlow, the New South Wales Police Superintendent, only had words of praise for the grandmother's act of bravery but said that "despite her best efforts, there was nothing more she could have done". He described the level of violence done to the little boy as "horrendous".
The investigation into the stabbing murder is currently in its early stages. The officer said at the scene of the crime on June 8: "The fact a young boy — five years of age — has died from being injured in his home, it's probably about as bad as it gets."
The boy, studying in elementary school, was rushed to the Westmead Children's Hospital but he could not be saved. The mechanic father will appear in court on July 30.