{"id":397,"date":"2026-05-01T02:56:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/rioting-crowds-demand-payback-as-suspect-in-little-girls-death-flown-out-by-police\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T02:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:56:07","slug":"rioting-crowds-demand-payback-as-suspect-in-little-girls-death-flown-out-by-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/rioting-crowds-demand-payback-as-suspect-in-little-girls-death-flown-out-by-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Rioting crowds demand &#8216;payback&#8217; as suspect in little girl&#8217;s death flown out by police"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_5f510e\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Police have been forced to evacuate suspected child murderer Jefferson Lewis after his arrest after an Australian city descended into chaos overnight, with rioters baying for blood<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<div class=\"Byline_author-and-badge-wrapper__2dsv1\">\n<p><span><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35 __className_5f510e\">Rachel Vickers-Price<\/strong> UK and World News Reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37095214\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Riots broke out across Australia's Red Centre overnight, with more than 400 people descending on Alice Springs Hospital where the suspected child killer was being held\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Untitled-design-2.png\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Riots broke out across Australia's Red Centre overnight, with more than 400 people descending on Alice Springs Hospital where the suspected child killer was being held\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Riots broke out across Australia&#8217;s Red Centre overnight, with more than 400 people descending on Alice Springs Hospital where the suspected child killer was being held<cite aria-label=\"Image: Nine News\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Nine News)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Riots have erupted in Australia after police captured the man believed to be responsible for the <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/police-race-find-missing-five-37078839.amp\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">abduction and murder<\/a> of missing five-year-old girl, Kumanjayi Little Baby.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The youngster\u2019s body <a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/police-race-find-missing-five-37078839\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">was discovered on Thursday<\/a>, April 30, approximately three miles from where she was last seen alive on Saturday. That same evening, Northern Territory Police tracked down recently released prisoner Jefferson Lewis, 47, at Charles Creek Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in the<a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/australia\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Australian Outback.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Officers arrived to find a 200-strong crowd already &#8220;taking justice into their own hands&#8221;, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said, with the vigilante crowd beating the murder suspect \u201cwithin an inch of his life\u201d.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37095207\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37095207\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.07\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NT Police have arrested suspected child murderer and kidnapper Jefferson Lewis, 47.\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_108279987-15780917-image-a-4_1777591436023.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"NT Police have arrested suspected child murderer and kidnapper Jefferson Lewis, 47.\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">NT Police have arrested suspected child murderer and kidnapper Jefferson Lewis, 47.<cite aria-label=\"Image: Facebook\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Facebook)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The NT top cop continued: &#8220;Our police officers were attacked at that time, as were the St John Ambulance crew that attended to assist,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They were turned on by about 200 people, but they were able to get out of there and get Mr Lewis to hospital.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He noted that Lewis likely presented himself to the camp knowing there was a strong contingent of Warlpiri people there. Sources confirmed Lewis was hospitalised just before 10pm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kumanjayi Little Baby is of the region&#8217;s tribal community known as the Warlpiri mob. Mob meaning family, or community, to Indigenous Australians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But the city was still seething after the girl&#8217;s tragic death, with a furious crowd of locals deciding to take justice into their own hands. A 400-strong crowd gathered outside Alice Springs Hospital late on Thursday, with the lynch mob demanding the facility hand the suspected child killer over to them. When the crowd was refused, the central Australian city devolved into a state of utter anarchy.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37095208\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37095208\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An angry crowd of more than 400 people descended on Alice Springs Hospital on Thuraday to demand Lewis be handed over to face 'payback', as per Aboriginal tribal lore\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37095208.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_108278547-15780917-Lewis_had_been_found_by_a_vigilante_group_and_was_beaten_before_-a-4_1777589495370.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"An angry crowd of more than 400 people descended on Alice Springs Hospital on Thuraday to demand Lewis be handed over to face 'payback', as per Aboriginal tribal lore\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">An angry crowd of more than 400 people descended on Alice Springs Hospital on Thuraday to demand Lewis be handed over to face &#8216;payback&#8217;, as per Aboriginal tribal lore<cite aria-label=\"Image: Facebook\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Facebook)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In video footage of the wild scenes, police can be heard telling people to \u201cback up\u201d as tensions escalated. Members of the crowd were heard demanding \u201cpayback\u201d\u2014traditional punishment under Aboriginal tribal law\u2014and shouting \u201cbring him out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A police car was set alight, while officers reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the enraged crowd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">By Friday morning, Commissioner Dole told the ABC that several police officers, two St John Ambulance officers, and one firefighter had been injured. Four out of the five ambulances servicing the entire population of Alice Springs were damaged and rendered inoperable. Several police vehicles were also destroyed. Due to the violence, Lewis was evacuated to Darwin in the early hours of Friday morning.<\/p>\n<div class=\"HtmlEmbed_container__x6svQ\">\n<figure data-testid=\"embed-placeholder\" class=\"EmbedPlaceholder_figure__NLMFl undefined false\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"90\" height=\"90\" viewbox=\"0 0 90 90\" fill=\"none\" data-testid=\"consent-placeholder-icon\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_10846_5865)\"><circle opacity=\"0.16\" cx=\"45\" cy=\"45\" r=\"33.75\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\"\/><path d=\"M21.1351 21.1351C15.0276 27.2427 11.25 35.6802 11.25 45C11.25 63.6396 26.3604 78.75 45 78.75C54.3198 78.75 62.7573 74.9724 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351C27.2427 15.0276 35.6802 11.25 45 11.25C63.6396 11.25 78.75 26.3604 78.75 45C78.75 54.3198 74.9724 62.7573 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351L68.8649 68.8649\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\" stroke-width=\"7.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_10846_5865\"><rect width=\"90\" height=\"90\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><figcaption>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Our police swear an oath to serve and protect; we don\u2019t get to choose who we protect, so the safety of Mr Lewis was important as well,&#8221; he told ABC Radio. Confirming that charges are imminent, the Commissioner told News.com.au the overnight violence was unacceptable. &#8220;Those responsible will be held accountable, just like Mr Lewis has been held accountable for the crimes he committed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Despite the anarchy, Commissioner Dole distinguished the rioters from the broader community response. \u201cThis does not reflect Alice Springs or what we\u2019ve seen over the last five days, where we\u2019ve seen extraordinary strength, compassion, and cooperation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37090269\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37090269\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NT Police said its &quot;focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis&quot;\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_779346c3dcc454a308c0badca57e22d6.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Jefferson Lewis, photographed, has now been arrested\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Jefferson Lewis, photographed, has now been arrested<cite aria-label=\"Image: NT Police\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: NT Police)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kumanjayi Little Baby\u2019s grandfather, a senior Warlpiri elder and family spokesperson, has since called for calm. \u201cIt is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving,\u201d Mr Granites said in a statement on Friday. \u201cOur children are precious; of course we are feeling angry and hurt, but what has happened this week is not our way. This man has been caught, and we must now let justice take its course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Warlpiri elder urged those in bush communities to avoid traveling to Alice Springs unless joining sorry business. \u201cNow is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble. We need to be strong for each other and respect cultural practice. This is the Yapa way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The girl\u2019s disappearance sparked one of the largest searches in Northern Territory history, involving over 200 volunteers, ATVs, helicopters, and Aboriginal trackers. The search covered a 7.72-square-mile radius\u2014nearly seven times the size of the City of London\u2014through shoulder-high barrel grass and punishing terrain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/rioting-crowds-demand-payback-suspect-37095205\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Police have been forced to evacuate suspected child murderer Jefferson Lewis after his arrest after<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777604167_1_Untitled-design-2.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}