Father charged: Police rocked by ‘horrible and brutal’ act against defenceless young boy

To neighbours who knew the father and his young son, and saw how they adored each other, there is simply no explanation for this sickening knife attack which left the boy dead.

TO neighbours who knew the father and his young son, saw how they played together and adored each other, there is simply no explanation for the sickening crime.

There is only shock and disbelief that the 36-year-old they thought was a devoted dad is now accused of stabbing his five-year-old boy to death with a knife in a frenzy yesterday morning.

“He was a very, very good father. He loved his son so much,” said neighbour Natalie Lewin, whose daughter used to play with the boy.

Police said there was “nothing more” the grandmother could have done to save the boy’s life.

“There was zero sign this was going to happen. He never screamed at him.”

Her husband Hank, who used to share a beer and conversation with the accused, agreed, telling The Saturday Telegraph: “He cared for that boy. You could see the boy ran to his dad when he wanted help.”

But last night police charged the man with murder (domestic violence) following the attack at their Carlingford home just before 7am.

The incident happened while the boy’s mother was out and his grandmother — the accused man’s mother — was visiting the house.

The grandmother of a five-year-old boy stabbed to death in his Carlingford home this morning is comforted by police and paramedics. Picture: TNV

Police said the “heroic” grandmother put the bleeding child in the car and drove a block to a nearby street, where she realised the seriousness of his injuries, stopped and called an ambulance.

Paramedics then took the child to Westmead Hospital and, once she was notified, his mother rushed there to meet him. But he died at 8.02am.

His father was arrested at the home, where police seized a knife.

He was charged after questioning at Castle Hill Police Station and will face Parramatta Court today. None of the family can be identified for legal reasons.

The grandmother tried to save the boy and was later treated for shock. Picture: 7NEWS

The five-year-old boy who was stabbed. Picture: Facebook

Superintendent Rob Critchlow said it was “a horrible and brutal (act) against a very young, defenceless boy”.

“The level of violence is horrendous in fact,” Supt Critchlow said.

“The fact that a young boy, five years of age, died and has been injured in his home is about as bad as it gets.”

He praised the boy’s 60-year-old grandmother, later treated for shock, for her efforts to save the boy.

Forensic police work at the scene where ambulance crews attended to the boy.

The boy’s father was arrested at the home and later charged with murder.

The deceased boy as a toddler.

“She’s behaved in a heroic and caring manner, as you can imagine a grandmother would.

“She was presented with something terrible and she’s done her best to get the young boy to safety,” Supt Critchlow said.

“There’s nothing more she could have done.”

Neighbours told The Saturday Telegraph they woke to banging noises at the house and a fleet of police cars.

Ms Lewin said the boy’s father, a mechanic at a family business, had recently been ill and had not been working, but there were no signs of trouble in the family.

“He spoke with his wife like, ‘sweetheart, babe’,” Ms Lewin said.

Her husband was also at a loss to explain the alleged attack and said the father seemed like an easygoing “Aussie bloke”.

Police continues inquiries at Paul Place, Carlingford. Picture: David Swift

A child’s trampoline at the rear of the house. Picture: David Swift

“I had a couple of beers with him. I’d talk about the footy, cars,” Mr Lewin said.

“It’s shocking. I couldn’t imagine life without my little guy.”

The couple said neighbours faced a terrible task in telling their children what had happened in the street.

An Education Department official stood at the boy’s school gate with principal Neil Hinton as children went home yesterday. Picture: David Swift

The boy was understood to have attended Carlingford Public School.

An Education Department official stood at the gate with principal Neil Hinton as children went home yesterday.

Mum Katrina Smith said her daughter had heard about the attack and had been told “not to spread rumours” by teachers at the school.

“Two children in my daughter’s Year 6 class went home because their buddies in kindergarten did not come to school this morning and they were upset,” she said.

Her daughter knew the boy and said “he was really nice”.