Residents of Alice Springs have come forward with chilling accounts of a brutal ‘payback’ assault on a man accused of kidnapping and killing young Kumanjayi Little Baby.
Forty-seven-year-old Jefferson Lewis found himself attacked by a group of vigilantes in the aftermath of the tragic death of the five-year-old girl.
Kumanjayi Little Baby went missing last Saturday, and sadly, her body was discovered on Thursday night near the Todd River’s banks, approximately 5 kilometers from her home.
On Sunday, the Northern Territory Police confirmed that Lewis had been formally charged with murder.
Witnesses spotted Lewis at a campsite in Alice Springs just hours after the discovery of Kumanjayi’s body.
He was reportedly beaten unconscious before law enforcement arrived, with sources revealing details of the ‘payback’ attack under the condition of anonymity due to its disturbing nature.
Some of the acts rumoured to have been inflicted on Lewis are so unspeakable Daily Mail has chosen not to publish them.
However, it can now be revealed a group of young boys were the first to spot him after recognising him from news reports.
Jefferson Lewis is now in police custody in Darwin after being airlifted from Alice Springs
Kumanjayi Little Baby’s body was found south of Alice Springs on Thursday
They stumbled across him holding a stick and lying in long grass behind a shipping container on the outskirts of a camp.
Lewis is understood to have attempted to run away, and the boys screamed out for help.
Within seconds they began raining down blows. Makeshift weapons, including rocks, an old pram and the stick he was found with, were used during the confrontation.
‘They wanted to break his legs,’ one local told Daily Mail.
‘At first he tried to get away but he had no chance. They surrounded him.
‘They wanted to cause maximum pain and were jumping on him, kicking him, smashing rocks into his head.’
More than 30 people joined in, each taking turns.
‘Many people joined in after the young fellas had the first go,’ the local said.
Vigilantes stumbled across Lewis lying in long grass behind a shipping container on the outskirts of a camp
Within seconds of finding Lewis, locals began raining down blows on the 47-year-old
An old pram was used to hit Lewis after some of the locals found him hiding in the grass
The source claimed even women jumped in on the fracas.
Within minutes of the attack, videos began circulating on social media.
In one video, a group of people could be seen crowding around Lewis as he lay motionless on the floor.
Any cries for help were drowned out by dozens of spectators all egging on the attackers.
In another video, a member of the crowd can be heard yelling: ‘There he is, the ugly c***. Right there’.
‘There are rumours that he was stabbed almost 40 times,’ the source said.
‘He was drenched in his own blood so I believe it.’
While the attack and aftermath were filmed by several people on their phones, and some even posted it online within minutes, many clips have since been deleted.
People thought he may be dead and some people called the ambulance because only God should take a life (pictured, a rubber glove and dish left behind by paramedics as they were forced to flee the scene)
A police car was set on fire outside the hospital Lewis was staying at after riots broke out
Murder suspect Jefferson Lewis, 47, was arrested after he was hunted down by an angry crowd of vigilantes
People thought he may be dead and some people called the ambulance because they believed only God should take a life.
Police arrived and moved everyone away. They formed a circle around him to block the crowd but they had rocks thrown at them.
A source said Lewis never called out for help.
‘Don’t save him,’ someone screamed in the crowd.
‘Look, they are chucking him in the back of the ambulance, protecting him knowing what the f*** he did.’
Lewis was rushed to hospital when a riot then unfolded.
More than 400 people gathered outside the building, throwing rocks at the windows as the furious crowd screamed for Lewis to be brought outside.
They only dispersed when police deployed tear gas, but dozens remained on the street behind the hospital, with one woman claiming some attendees had ‘smashed a cop car up’ in retaliation. Others were seen throwing projectiles at officers.
‘That crowd (outside Alice Springs Hospital) turned on police, throwing rocks and weapons at police,’ Commissioner Dole said.
‘Four ambulances out of the five ambulances in Alice Springs were damaged, making them inoperable.
‘One police vehicle was burnt to the ground.’
It’s understood Lewis was known to the little girl’s family who shared a tribute in the wake of her death.
‘I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family,’ her mother, Jacinta White, said in a statement.
‘Me and your brother will meet you one day. We are giving our lives to Jesus.
‘It’s going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you.
‘Ramsiah wants to tell you that when he sees you in heaven, he is going to give you the biggest hug ever.’
