Emotional scenes as Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family attends the first trial for her alleged killer as he is EXPOSED from appearing
The man accused of murdering five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby has been excused from appearing in court just minutes before her heartbroken family turned up to attend the hearing.
Jefferson Lewis, 47, was due to appear in Alice Springs Local Court via audiovisual link on Tuesday morning.
The court was only open to the public for about 20 minutes before wrapping up, with Judge Anthony Hopkins adjourning the case until July 30.
It is believed that legal aid lawyers representing Lewis, who remains in custody, have requested an exemption from the July hearing.
There were emotional scenes outside court after Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family turned up to witness the hearing only to realize they had missed it.
An elderly woman could be seen sobbing as she walked up the steps of the court, with Kumanjayi Little Baby’s brother flanked by aunts.
They had white ocher on their faces, which is worn by native people during sad affairs.
The Daily Mail has learned that the family was taken to a private room where the legal proceedings were explained.
There were emotional scenes outside court after Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family turned up to witness the hearing only to realize they had missed it
The family was taken to a private room where the legal proceedings were explained
Kumanjayi Little Baby, five, is believed to have been snatched from a house in Old Timers Camp, 6km south of Alice Springs, on April 25.
About 15 minutes later, the family left the courthouse and was seen in a park across the road.
This is the first time they have been seen in public since Kumanjayi Little Baby went missing.
Lewis is accused of taking the five-year-old girl from a house in Old Timers Camp, six kilometers south of Alice Springs, where he was staying last month.
Lewis is said to have sneaked into the room where the young girl had been placed in bed on a mattress on Anzac Day, before sneaking her out through the side door, sparking a huge manhunt for the pair.
The alleged murder has horrified the close-knit community, which spent anxious days scouring riverbeds and bushes for the missing girl before her body was found in bushland outside the town five days after her disappearance.
“This is a horrific event and a horrific set of circumstances and our thoughts remain strongly with the family and the community as everyone copes with the impact of these horrific events,” NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole told reporters on Sunday morning.
‘This has been an extensive and detailed investigation. Our investigators worked around the clock to reach this outcome.”
Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with murder and remains in custody
Lewis was arrested at another town camp in Alice Springs after being beaten unconscious by locals.
He was placed under guard at Alice Springs Hospital, where a large, angry crowd gathered and demanded he face traditional justice, before Lewis was evacuated to Darwin by the NT Police air force for his own protection.
The alleged killing received national attention and sparked days of tension, including looting and attacks on emergency services.
Five emergency workers were injured, police vehicles and ambulances were damaged and local businesses were looted.
More than a dozen people have since been arrested over the unrest, while police are also looking for people they believe harbored Lewis during the days-long search.
The case has reignited debate about conditions in urban camps and the safety of Aboriginal children. The opposition is calling for an investigation, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese points to billions of dollars in federal spending on remote housing.
Candlelight vigils are planned for Kumanjayi on Thursday and mourners have been asked to wear pink, her favorite color, as the community gathers to mourn and remember her short life.