Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Abe Maddison

'Substantial' evidence in Little Baby murder case

Evidence has been served against Jefferson Lewis, who is accused of murdering Kumanjayi Little Baby. (HANDOUT/NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE / AAP)

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.

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.

Jefferson Lewis
Jefferson Lewis was not required to appear before the court on Thursday. (HANDOUT/NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services)

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," Mr 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, Mr 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.

five-year-old girl in pink dress
The disappearance and suspected murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby made headlines across the country. (HANDOUT/NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE FORCE)

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.

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.

Jefferson Lewis
Murder accused Jefferson Lewis remains in custody after being flown out of town for his own safety. (HANDOUT/NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services)

An independent review released on July 21 found multiple red flags were missed by child protection authorities before her death.

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.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491

13YARN 13 92 76

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.