Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I’m sure you’ve seen the photo of this little girl, who, due to Aboriginal custom and her family’s wishes, is now referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby (for reasons I will explain in a moment). Note: I have to blur her face as she is a minor and I have not received permission to use her image.
Last week, she went missing from her home in Old Timers camp, south of the outback town of Alice Springs. The ABC initially ran the headline: “‘Mounting concerns’ for missing five-year-old girl in Alice Springs.”
And this is 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis. You may have seen him plastered all over the news recently due to his alleged involvement in the abduction of the little girl. For example, the ABC reported: “What we know about Jefferson Lewis, the man police are searching for over the alleged abduction.”
Although, to be fair, the ABC did plaster his face all over their website, interestingly—as spotted by an eagle-eyed viewer—the ABC included no physical description of the man, which seems a bit odd during an active manhunt. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have described his physical characteristics.
Furthermore, in a rare break from their usual custom, they never once described him as a “proud First Nations” man. It’s a curious omission, especially when you look at how they cover literally anyone else.
For example, this one from last week about Indigenous boxers: “Proud young Dunghutti men Jonas and Leeton are brothers, and sparring partners.
Yes, if you’re Indigenous and you’re on the ABC, you’re proud! Well, except when you allegedly abduct little girls—then you definitely shouldn’t be proud.
But sadly, just yesterday, the story reached a tragic conclusion. As the ABC stated: “Community in mourning after 5yo girl’s body found.” They note that because she is now deceased, she is referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons.
Following the discovery, police located the suspect soon after: “Jefferson Lewis arrested over alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby.”
Obviously, this guy, Jefferson Lewis, has completely destroyed a family. Well… allegedly.
So, now that he’s arrested, all is well in the world. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Well… not quite.
The community is angry. As the ABC declared: “Violence erupts in Alice Springs over death of Kumanjayi Little Baby,” and “Riots in Alice Springs.” They noted that “crowds rioted outside the town’s hospital, where Jefferson Lewis… was being held.”
Yes, the arrest of the suspect is not enough. The mob wants blood.
They threw dirt at police officers; they attacked police cars with clubs; they jumped on police cars; they set cars alight; they smashed windows; they attacked and chased officers; they threw bins at the police.
The police responded with tear gas and less-lethal rounds, but ultimately, they were outnumbered and had to retreat.
Just another night in Alice Springs. Welcome to Country!
Boy, I’d hate to be a police officer in the Northern Territory. It’s like a war zone.
And why did they do all this? Well, according to the ABC: “Mr Lewis had been arrested for murder and flown to Darwin after a crowd of about 400 ‘angry people’ gathered outside the Alice Springs hospital trying to get to him and demanding ‘payback’.”
Apparently, “payback” is a term for traditional punishment under Aboriginal lore in Central Australia. Many of the rioters were shouting that Mr Lewis needed to face this traditional justice, accusing the police of protecting him and demanding that he be killed for his alleged attack on the little girl.
Before they arrested him, police actually had to intervene to save Mr Lewis. As the NT Police Commissioner, Martin Dole, stated:
“Members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson and we received numerous phone calls saying he was in the process of being assaulted. Our police officers were attacked at that time, as were the St John Ambulance crew that attended to assist. They were turned on by about 200 people, but they were able to get out of there and get Mr Lewis to hospital.”
When asked why the police protected the alleged offender from the baying mob, the Commissioner replied:
“Our police swear an oath to serve and protect, we don’t get to choose who we protect, so the safety of Mr Lewis was important as well.”
It seems the tension between ancient lore and modern law has finally come to a head in Central Australia.
Yes, the offender’s alleged crime was horrendous, and the mob wanted him dead. But it turns out that if British colonisation brought us anything, it’s the idea that even the worst among us should face a court of law, not a street execution.
So, I’ll leave it to you. Do you stand with the “baying mob” and their traditional version of justice? Or are you glad the police held the line to protect what’s left of the rule of law in the chaos that is Alice Springs?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
I’m sure you’ve seen the photo of this little girl, who, due to Aboriginal custom and her family’s wishes, is now referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby (for reasons I will explain in a moment). Note: I have to blur her face as she is a minor and I have not received permission to use her image.
Last week, she went missing from her home in Old Timers camp, south of the outback town of Alice Springs. The ABC initially ran the headline: “‘Mounting concerns’ for missing five-year-old girl in Alice Springs.”
And this is 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis. You may have seen him plastered all over the news recently due to his alleged involvement in the abduction of the little girl. For example, the ABC reported: “What we know about Jefferson Lewis, the man police are searching for over the alleged abduction.”
Although, to be fair, the ABC did plaster his face all over their website, interestingly—as spotted by an eagle-eyed viewer—the ABC included no physical description of the man, which seems a bit odd during an active manhunt. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have described his physical characteristics.
Furthermore, in a rare break from their usual custom, they never once described him as a “proud First Nations” man. It’s a curious omission, especially when you look at how they cover literally anyone else.
For example, this one from last week about Indigenous boxers: “Proud young Dunghutti men Jonas and Leeton are brothers, and sparring partners.
Yes, if you’re Indigenous and you’re on the ABC, you’re proud! Well, except when you allegedly abduct little girls—then you definitely shouldn’t be proud.
But sadly, just yesterday, the story reached a tragic conclusion. As the ABC stated: “Community in mourning after 5yo girl’s body found.” They note that because she is now deceased, she is referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons.
Following the discovery, police located the suspect soon after: “Jefferson Lewis arrested over alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby.”
Obviously, this guy, Jefferson Lewis, has completely destroyed a family. Well… allegedly.
So, now that he’s arrested, all is well in the world. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Well… not quite.
The community is angry. As the ABC declared: “Violence erupts in Alice Springs over death of Kumanjayi Little Baby,” and “Riots in Alice Springs.” They noted that “crowds rioted outside the town’s hospital, where Jefferson Lewis… was being held.”
Yes, the arrest of the suspect is not enough. The mob wants blood.
They threw dirt at police officers; they attacked police cars with clubs; they jumped on police cars; they set cars alight; they smashed windows; they attacked and chased officers; they threw bins at the police.
The police responded with tear gas and less-lethal rounds, but ultimately, they were outnumbered and had to retreat.
Just another night in Alice Springs. Welcome to Country!
Boy, I’d hate to be a police officer in the Northern Territory. It’s like a war zone.
And why did they do all this? Well, according to the ABC: “Mr Lewis had been arrested for murder and flown to Darwin after a crowd of about 400 ‘angry people’ gathered outside the Alice Springs hospital trying to get to him and demanding ‘payback’.”
Apparently, “payback” is a term for traditional punishment under Aboriginal lore in Central Australia. Many of the rioters were shouting that Mr Lewis needed to face this traditional justice, accusing the police of protecting him and demanding that he be killed for his alleged attack on the little girl.
Before they arrested him, police actually had to intervene to save Mr Lewis. As the NT Police Commissioner, Martin Dole, stated:
“Members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson and we received numerous phone calls saying he was in the process of being assaulted. Our police officers were attacked at that time, as were the St John Ambulance crew that attended to assist. They were turned on by about 200 people, but they were able to get out of there and get Mr Lewis to hospital.”
When asked why the police protected the alleged offender from the baying mob, the Commissioner replied:
“Our police swear an oath to serve and protect, we don’t get to choose who we protect, so the safety of Mr Lewis was important as well.”
It seems the tension between ancient lore and modern law has finally come to a head in Central Australia.
Yes, the offender’s alleged crime was horrendous, and the mob wanted him dead. But it turns out that if British colonisation brought us anything, it’s the idea that even the worst among us should face a court of law, not a street execution.
So, I’ll leave it to you. Do you stand with the “baying mob” and their traditional version of justice? Or are you glad the police held the line to protect what’s left of the rule of law in the chaos that is Alice Springs?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
