A 10-year-old boy being treated for brain cancer and his mother were allegedly attacked by a stranger on a Melbourne street. The pair were on their way to their hotel after traveling to the city for the boy's medical treatment when the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Jerry Sowood, 27, has been charged in connection with the alleged assault. He appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday and faces charges including affray, intentionally causing injury, two counts of unlawful assault, conduct endangering life, and conduct endangering serious injury.
Prosecutors allege Sowood punched the 10-year-old boy before grabbing the boy's mother, Cherie, and stabbing her multiple times with scissors when she attempted to intervene. Cherie's two other children were present during the alleged attack. Bystanders reportedly subdued Sowood before police arrived and made an arrest.
Despite being cautioned by the magistrate about discussing details, Sowood made statements in court, saying, "There's no family that was torn apart. Even though I did what I did, the mum did not lose her child, her child was not taken away from her." He also stated, "I took the scissors and I stabbed a woman in the head... I'm just clarifying it." The magistrate reportedly responded, "At least they're both still breathing, you know. So I kept my humanity."
Victoria Police Superintendent Zorka Dunstan, who witnessed the incident from her office at the police headquarters located nearby, described the scene. "One of the boys was an 11-year-old, he was crying, I gave him a hug because I was impacted just watching how he reacted," Dunstan said.
The mother and son are from Phillip Island, Victoria. The boy is recovering at The Royal Children's Hospital, while his mother is being treated at Royal Melbourne Hospital for injuries to her back and shoulders. Sowood is scheduled to return to court on November 18.
Cherie's brother, Kirk Holt, expressed his dismay, telling the Herald Sun that the government had "failed Victorians (and) it has failed my family" and that the incident "should never have happened."