Shocking details have emerged in court about a Perth man who poured petrol on two of his children, aged seven (who is autistic) and three, before setting the younger of the two little girls alight.
One word: horrifying.
According to KidSpot, West Australian man Edward Herbert confessed to burning his daughters in 2015, but has pleaded non-guilty due to the fact he says he was of an unsound mind.
Mr Herbert’s actions left his then-three-year-old child with “severe and life-threatening” burns to 13 per cent of her body, including her upper-body and face, and she will be permanently scarred.
As reported by Perth Now, it is believed that after a day of smoking and drinking, Mr Herbert doused his daughters in fuel in front of his partner.
What reportedly happened next is shocking.
At around midnight on that fateful August day, Mr Herbert said to his partner, “That’s it b***h, I am going to kill you”. He then proceeded to strip down to no clothes, before entering his daughters’ room with a jerry can full of petrol.
An off-duty police officer heard the horror, running into the unit to save the two children.
Reports state that Constable Stephanie Bochorsky ran inside the family unit and smelt petrol. She then saw the three-year-old’s “whole head on fire”.
After the children were rescued, neighbours allege that Mr Herbert was found pacing in his kitchen, drinking a beer.
Neighbours also claim that Mr Herbert said he could do whatever he liked with his children and that he wouldn’t “not have lit my boy up” (his son was also in the unit at the time of the attack).
He also said that he burnt his toddler because she was “too beautiful”.
His court case continues.
Our thoughts are with the victims of Mr Herbert’s attack during this difficult time.
