As she puts it all together, Eve’s hand trembles. Sitting in her Western Sydney living room, she can see through the blinds the charred, blackened shell of her neighbor’s house, which has been shown on the news as a crime scene.
It is difficult to understand what transpired on this calm street in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
A fire that would result in the deaths of three kids, one of whom was a 5-month-old baby girl, and the hospitalization of four more kids along with their mother.
And an even more startling accusation: these children were subjected to this trauma, which was so apparent in the aftermath and on the faces of those who saw it, by their father, who then prevented them from trying to escape.
The state’s premier has said that the 28-year-old father of seven could be charged with “the most serious offenses available” in relation to the Lalor Park house fire. The fire is being investigated by the New South Wales Police as a multiple homicide linked to domestic violence.
The case, which has caused widespread indignation, comes at a time when Australia is already experiencing a domestic and family violence epidemic that it has called a “national crisis” due to the fact that, according to data, a child dies at the hands of a parent nearly every two weeks.
