“Do you want to go to heaven?”
These chilling words were the last a young girl heard before being hurled into the Georges River, clad in a princess dress and school shoes.
According to court documents, the incident unfolded on a bridge in Sydney’s southwest in September 2023. The young girl stood alongside another child when Hoda Elabady posed the unsettling question.
“No, I have a bright future,” the child replied, expressing her aspiration to become a police officer.
Despite her response, the court heard that Elabady lifted the girl and threw her into the water, dropping her from a height of 1.8 meters.
The 39-year-old then turned to the second girl and asked if she wished to “go to God” before similarly casting her off the bridge.
She faced a NSW District Court today after pleading not guilty to two counts of attempting to drown the girls with intent to murder.Â
Elabady could not be held responsible for her actions due to her severe mental illness, her lawyer previously argued.
She lives with schizophrenia and was experiencing acute psychosis which involved hallucinations telling her to kill the girls and die by suicide.
Elabady had watched from above, anger plastered on her face, as the two girls struggled to remain above the water, Judge Huw Baker said.
“Please let us back up,” one of the girls yelled.
Instead the woman attempted to die by suicide, sustaining significant injuries to her legs and lower body, the court was told.
Standing on something submerged in the river, with nothing but a stick to help them stay afloat, the girls hugged each other and tried to signal for help.
A passer-by finally heard their calls at midday and pulled them from the water before they were taken to hospital, Judge Baker said.
“(We) recognise the bravery of the two young girls who, for a very terrifying two hours, were in the water in the Georges River in what can only be described as the most horrific and terrifying circumstances,” he said.
The judge found Elabady had tried to drown the children but could not be held criminally responsible for her actions because of her mental illnesses.Â
She is believed to have been living with an untreated mental impairment since she was 17 years old, according to mental health experts cited in court.
Elabady’s mental health deteriorated in the months before the incident, the court was told.
She began telling others she had been talking with an angel and one day said the “evil touched me” before revealing a mark on her thigh.
One of the specialists had “absolute medical confidence” she did not know what she had done was wrong, Judge Baker noted.
She currently shows no overt symptoms of psychosis and, with ongoing treatment, he said she would not pose a risk to herself or the community.
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
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