Two month old baby hospitalised in Adelaide after alleged assault in Alice Springs home invasion

A horror alleged assault on a baby in Alice Springs – who is now being treated in Adelaide – has prompted the Chief Minister and Police Commissioner to travel to the Red Centre. READ THE LATEST.

Gera Kazakov, Katie Hall and Fia Walsh

3 min read

December 12, 2024 - 6:07PM

$Baby hospitalised with fractured skull after alleged robbery$

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The father of a two-month-old baby girl whose skull was fractured in an alleged home invasion has shared details of his daughter’s condition in the wake of the horror incident.

He spoke to this masthead from his home in the Alice Springs suburb of Larapinta on Thursday morning, where the previous day his wife and four children were subjected to a terrifying alleged invasion, assault and robbery by two teenage boys.

The father, who asked his identity remain private as he processed the trauma of the incident, said his daughter had suffered a skull fracture but was “stable for the moment”.

He said the two-month-old girl, who was flown to an Adelaide hospital due to the severity of her injuries, was being monitored in the hospital, where tests were being run.

He said he was “overwhelmed and flabbergasted” by the support he’d received from the community so far, and praised the speedy response of the police.

While the police presence in the street was gone and some residents were unaware of the atrocious alleged attack, others were securing their homes.

Bokhara St, Larapinta, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Police responded to an incident where a two-month-old baby was allegedly attacked on Bokhara St on Wednesday. The baby needed to be airlifted out of Alice Springs to Adelaide for treatment. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Gavin Carpenter, who’s lived in Alice Springs for almost 20 years, was putting barbed wire up on his fence.

He said his place was surrounded by barbed wire, cameras and lights.

Gavin Carpenter lives on Bokhara St, Larapinta , and has been broken into many times. He has cameras and barbwire around the property Picture: Grenville Turner

He lives five houses from where the invasion occurred.

He said “you couldn’t get a better place to live in Australia - except for the kids”.

“I know what to do but no one will,” he said, talking about arming himself with a 12 gauge shotgun.

Police allege two teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, entered the Bokhara St home about 2.30pm Wednesday, threatening a woman and her four children.

In a video shared about 11.30pm on Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Regional Crime Paul Lawson said the woman had been holding her two month old child when one of the boys approached her and “threatened her with a weapon”.

“He struck out at her, hitting her and the child. The child has sustained serious head injuries,” Detective Lawson said.

As the mother and her child were allegedly assaulted, the teenager allegedly took her keys and purse before fleeing in a vehicle.

They were arrested about 90 minutes later.

The mother and child were sent to Alice Springs Hospital, before the child was transferred to a hospital in Adelaide.

Ambulance service St John NT confirmed it did not attend the incident - initial help being rendered by police.

Northern Territory police responding a home invasion on Bokhara St, Larapinta, Alice Springs, Wednesday December 11 2024, where police allege a two-month-old baby and their mother were assaulted by two youths. Picture: Action for Alice

Detective Lawson described the alleged assault as a “shocking incident”.

“I’m shocked. The community is in shock. The first responders are shocked – this has got to stop,” he said.

“I’d like to acknowledge the first responders, mainly Alice Springs police, their attendance to this incident was excellent and they got the offenders very quickly off the streets.

“Our thoughts go out to the victims of this incident, their families. I cannot even think about what they’re going through.”

The teens have each been charged with counts of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, unlawfully cause serious harm, aggravated assault and theft.

Both will appear in Alice Springs Local Court on Thursday.

The alleged assault comes after the home of former NT Administrator, Ted Egan and his wife, Nerys Evans, was reportedly broken into on December 3.

And on Saturday December 7, police arrested a 22-year-old man after he allegedly raped a 29-year-old woman sleeping in her own home.

On Thursday afternoon, Bokhara St was glum. The news had rippled through the street, with residents mortified when they heard it.

Children were still biking up the street, and many residents were just coming home from work.

One resident - who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution - said her insurance excess has gone up due to the crime in the area.

The long term resident said her excess was $10,000 and she has been asked to install $500 cameras at her property.

While others were installing barb wire, this resident was mulling how the extra high fence she installed was blocking her view of the MacDonnell Ranges.

While barbed wire might be a bit too far for her, she struggles at night, with “every noise” waking her up.

Barbed wire on Bokhara St home in Larapinta, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

She said she had been broken into twice in the past year.

Another resident said he felt safe on the street because of his “three big arse f***king dogs”.

“I’ve come up on the streets, these kids, they’re just hanging with their crew and that’s what their crew are doing and that’s what they’re doing,” he said.

“I know what the government should do... every child that’s caught doing that has to go to boot camp.

“And after they go to boot camp, if they’re still doing that sort of stuff, they have to go to the army, they have to enlist.

“(Then) they’ll come back with respect.”