A 32-year old Lennoxton mother was arrested this morning after she allegedly disembowelled her three-year old daughter.

Witnesses say the little girl and her two siblings, aged around 10 and 2, are fortunate to survive their mother’s attack due to the heroic response of a construction worker who was busy in the yard at the time.

The construction worker, who asked not be named, said he saw the 10-year old running out of the house and then heard screaming from within. He tried to open the door but it was locked.

When he looked through the window, he saw the three-year old bleeding on the sofa.

“It was terrifying. Her insides were out,” he said. “It looked like she (the mother) laid her child on the sofa and stabbed her from above.”

The construction worker broke the window with a hammer to gain access to the property when he saw the mother turn the knife on her two-year old.

“I had to take the knife away from her before she hurt her children anymore. I am still in shock,” he added.

Imran Ghafoor, from Newcastle Crime Fighters Task Team CCPA (Community Crime Prevention Association), was the first responder on the scene. He was alerted to the incident by a member of the public. Ghafoor alerted ambulance and police, before apprehending the woman.

“When I got to the scene, Trivs was already attending to the child. The mother appeared to be experiencing a break from reality. She was not in her right mind,” said Ghafoor.

It is alleged the woman was overheard telling police officials, “The devil made me do it.”

Residents who live in the area say they can’t understand what happened. One resident remarked, “They were a happy family …a perfect family, in fact.”

Reflecting on the events preceding this incident, however, another resident speculated that the attack may have been premeditated.

“She took her children outside to play, yesterday, and they seemed to really have fun, as if she was making their last day special. This morning, she kept the children from going to school. One of the children told me their mother had said, ‘Today, it’s over,’ in explanation for not sending them to school,” said the resident.

At the time of publishing, the three-year old was admitted to hospital with critical injuries. The mother was in police custody, but yet to be charged with any crime.

Ghafoor stated that it is likely she will be charged with attempted murder.

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