Gumleaf
January 28th, 2009, 09:25 PM
'13:00 AEST Thu Jan 29 2009
A four-year-old girl remains critically ill after being thrown from Melbourne's West Gate Bridge into the water below.
Detectives are now appealing for witnesses to the incident shortly after 9am (AEDT) today.
A man, aged about 35, was arrested just over an hour later outside the Federal Court building in central Melbourne with two other children in his car.
Homicide Detective Inspector Steve Clark said a white Toyota Landcruiser stopped in an in-bound lane of the bridge about 9.10am (AEDT).
"A male in that vehicle has taken a young girl ... and dropped her over the bridge and she's landed in the water," Det Insp Clark told reporters at the scene below the bridge.
Two other children, believed to be aged six and eight, were also in the car at the time but were unharmed, he said.
Water police reached the injured girl in the Yarra River within 10 minutes of the fall. She was treated by paramedics before being airlifted to the Royal Childrens Hospital in a critical condition.
A Hawthorn man, believed to be the child's father, was spotted with the Landcruiser and the two other children near the Federal Court in the CBD about 10.30am.
He was taken into custody and will be interviewed by police.
The victim's mother had been informed of the situation, Det Insp Clark said.
Det Insp Clark said the incident was "particularly distressing" for both family members and witnesses.
"This is a dreadful set of circumstances and often you think you've seen it all but you haven't," he said.
İAAP 2009
A four-year-old girl remains critically ill after being thrown from Melbourne's West Gate Bridge into the water below.
Detectives are now appealing for witnesses to the incident shortly after 9am (AEDT) today.
A man, aged about 35, was arrested just over an hour later outside the Federal Court building in central Melbourne with two other children in his car.
Homicide Detective Inspector Steve Clark said a white Toyota Landcruiser stopped in an in-bound lane of the bridge about 9.10am (AEDT).
"A male in that vehicle has taken a young girl ... and dropped her over the bridge and she's landed in the water," Det Insp Clark told reporters at the scene below the bridge.
Two other children, believed to be aged six and eight, were also in the car at the time but were unharmed, he said.
Water police reached the injured girl in the Yarra River within 10 minutes of the fall. She was treated by paramedics before being airlifted to the Royal Childrens Hospital in a critical condition.
A Hawthorn man, believed to be the child's father, was spotted with the Landcruiser and the two other children near the Federal Court in the CBD about 10.30am.
He was taken into custody and will be interviewed by police.
The victim's mother had been informed of the situation, Det Insp Clark said.
Det Insp Clark said the incident was "particularly distressing" for both family members and witnesses.
"This is a dreadful set of circumstances and often you think you've seen it all but you haven't," he said.
İAAP 2009