Man charged with murder and sexual assault of 5-year-old Australian girl

Man charged with murder and sexual assault of 5-year-old Australian girl30 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHarry SekulichNorthern Territory PoliceWarning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: this article contains references to someone who has died.Police in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) have charged a man with murder and two counts of sexual assault following the death of a five-year-old girl.The body of the girl, who is identified only as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, was discovered on Thursday following severals days of a major police search.Jefferson Lewis, 47, was charged with her murder on Saturday night and has been scheduled to appear in a Darwin court on Tuesday.Five people have been arrested over violent riots in Alice Springs sparked by the child's death.Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole announced the charges against Lewis on Sunday morning."This remains a deeply distressing matter and our thoughts are firmly with Kumanjayi's family, loved ones and the wider community that have been deeply impacted by these events," he said.Dole asked for the community to respect the judicial process.Lewis was reportedly attacked in the central Australian town before he was arrested on Thursday.Northern Territory PoliceA picture of Kumanjayi Little Baby, used with the permission of her familyViolent riots outside the Alice Spring hospital where he was being treated for injuries led police to move him to the city of Darwin approximately 1,500km (930 miles) north of the town.Video shows dozens of people gathering outside the town's hospital on Thursday night, some throwing projectiles, with police using tear gas. Protesters are also seen attacking police vehicles, with at least one van appearing to be set ablaze.Dole called the riots "disgusting" and "abhorrent".Police released further footage appearing to show crowds swarming a petrol station near the hospital...