Accused in Kumanjayi Little Baby case excused from appearance
Jefferson Lewis, charged with the murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, was excused from appearing in Alice Springs Local Court on Tuesday as prosecutors sought additional time to prepare an extensive brief of evidence.
The matter is scheduled to return to court on July 30, amid strong national interest and a cancelled public live stream.
Key Points
- Jefferson Lewis excused from Alice Springs Local Court appearance
- Judge acknowledged the family of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby
- Prosecutors sought lengthy adjournment to compile an extensive brief
- Brief to include citizen statements and forensic evidence
- Planned public live stream cancelled due to technical issues
- Family members arrived after media and lawyers left courtroom
- Case is scheduled to return to court on July 30
Court proceedings in Alice Springs
Lewis had been expected to appear via video link from Darwin, but his lawyer, Mitchell Donaldson requested that he be excused. Judge Anthony Hopkins opened the proceedings by acknowledging the young child’s family and the community’s concern surrounding the case.
“I begin by acknowledging the deep loss of Kumanjayi Little Baby and the family’s call for justice to take its course,”
— Judge Anthony Hopkins
Earlier in the morning, the courtroom was temporarily closed to the public and media to allow legal discussions between the defence and prosecution. After those discussions concluded, the public gallery reopened to a large contingent of local and interstate media.
No members of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family were present in the courtroom during the mention, although several family members were seen arriving as lawyers and media exited.
Lewis, 47, is charged with one count of murder and two additional charges.
The five-year-old’s family has requested that she be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby. Coverage of the case has noted that her image has been used with the permission of her family and included an advisory to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers.
Charges, investigation and arrest
Lewis, 47, is charged with one count of murder and two additional charges that cannot be disclosed for legal reasons. His court mention followed his arrest on Saturday. NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said detectives had been working to lay charges in the case.
The investigation began after the five-year-old girl went missing from an Alice Springs town camp last month, prompting an extensive search effort. Her remains were found after five days. Authorities have not disclosed further details of the additional charges or the investigative material at this stage.
Adjournment and public access
Prosecutor Patrick Williams requested a lengthy adjournment to allow time to assemble the brief of evidence. He told the court the material would be substantial and span multiple sources, including forensic work and citizen accounts gathered during the investigation.
“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,”
— Patrick Williams, Prosecutor
Mr Williams said the brief would include “a whole lot” of citizen statements and forensic evidence.
Given the high level of national interest, the court had planned to broadcast the appearance through a link shared by the NT Courts social media account. That public live stream was cancelled due to technical difficulties, with NT Courts advising that staff were unable to fix unforeseen issues on short notice.
