Australian police have charged a 47-year-old man with the murder of his wife and two young sons after their bodies were found at their home in Campbelltown, in southwest Sydney.
Officers were called to a property on Raymond Avenue at 7.50pm on Monday and discovered the bodies of a 46-year-old woman and boys aged 12 and four in different rooms. The man was arrested at the scene and later charged with three counts of murder, which police described as “particularly violent”.
The accused did not appear in person at Campbelltown local court, where his lawyer, Jawad Hosain, said his client was “distressed”. Mr Hosain declined to comment on the proceedings, adding that his client enjoyed the right to the presumption of innocence. Bail was formally refused and the case was adjourned to 15 July, when the man is expected to appear via video link.
Superintendent Michael Moroney said the accused had apparently called police himself, requesting officers attend the location. He noted that the family was not known to police, and said the incident highlighted “the scourge that domestic violence is across the community”. Police commissioner Mal Lanyon called the deaths “a terrible tragedy”.
The charges come during a heightened focus on domestic violence in New South Wales. A recent four-day operation, Amarok XIII, saw 993 people arrested and charged, with 299 arrest warrants executed.
