By Jessica McSweeney and Clare Sibthorpe
Emergency services had to “wrestle” one child from a father who allegedly used an accelerant, possibly petrol, to set the house fire that killed three of his children, police say.
The 28-year-old man allegedly set fire to the Lalor Park home while his partner and her seven children were inside about 1am on Sunday. After waking from an induced coma and suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, the man was charged with murder and faced court on Thursday.
Two boys, aged three and six, and a baby girl were killed in the blaze.
The man will face three murder charges.
The man allegedly attacked his partner first, beginning in the bedroom, before the entire home was set on fire. Witnesses told police the father blocked the children inside the house as it burnt, stopping their attempts to run for safety.
“Dad tried to kill us,” one of the surviving children allegedly told neighbours.
The man was charged with three counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and one charge of destroying property with the intent to endanger life.
The Lalor Park home on Sunday morning after the blaze.Credit: Dean Sewell
Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said the accused will likely recover from the injuries he sustained in the fire, and is currently conscious and aware of what has happened.
“It’s one of the worst cases of filicide that we have in NSW in recent memory,” Doherty said.
He added it was “quite unusual” that police had no prior interactions with the family, other than a welfare check late last month which was sparked by a “third party who called and had concerns for whatever reason,” but police attended the home and determined no further action was necessary.
The mother has since been discharged from hospital and four children – three boys aged four, seven and 11, and a nine-year-old girl – remain in hospital in stable conditions.
Doherty said police still had a lot of forensic evidence to examine and had interviewed the children.
He praised neighbour Jarrod Hawkins, who was labelled a hero after he ran into the burning home to help save the children, as well as first responders.
“It could have been the whole family dead inside that house,” Doherty said.
The father’s matter was briefly heard at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday morning, while the man remained under police guard at Westmead Hospital.
He was not required to appear via audiovisual link and his matter will next be heard at Penrith Local Court on September 6.
As well as his murder charges, the court heard an application by police for an apprehended violence order to protect the man’s family from him.
Under the AVO conditions, he must not go within 500 metres of his alleged victims, contact them except through a lawyer, approach any school or childcare centre they attend and/or possess any firearms.
Floral tributes and toys have amassed outside the family’s Freeman Street home as police continued to comb the charred remains of the house for evidence this week.
The children’s mother returned to the home after she was discharged from hospital earlier this week. She was accompanied by police as she read some of the messages left by mourners.
Hero neighbour Hawkins has set up a fundraiser for the family and called on the community to help buy toys, clothes and help with housing for the family.
So far he has raised about $30,000 for the family.
He described to the Herald the moment he ran into the blaze.
“The front door was locked, but I kept shoulder-barging it until I smashed it in,” he said. “There was too much smoke, I couldn’t see a thing, but I knew the daughter was inside.”
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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