A 47-year-old mother has been arrested after she allegedly stabbed her three children in the bedrooms of their family home in Sydney’s north-west in the early hours of Monday morning.
NSW police responded to the scene at the Baulkham Hills house after receiving reports about 5.20am that multiple people had been stabbed.
Emergency services raced to the family home and located a 10-year-old boy, 13-year-old girl, 16-year-old girl and the 47-year-old woman with stab wounds.
Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore said police believe the children may have been asleep when the alleged attack occurred.
Police believe the children’s father, who was also in the home at the time, then intervened and contacted police after waking up to screams.
“We believe the father was in the home at the time. We believe the father and the children were all in their rooms – potentially all asleep – when the mother has carried out this act,” Det Superintendent Moore said at a press conference on Monday.
“Upon waking up to what I believe to be a number of screams or yells, he has then gone to approach the situation… secured the weapon and contacted police.”
The mother’s behaviour was “erratic” in the lead-up to the incident, Det Superintendent Moore said.
Det Superintendent Moore said police are treating the incident “at its highest” as an alleged attempted triple murder.
“It is very early stages in the investigation. Until we have an opportunity to speak to her (the mother), we won’t know what her intent was,” she told reporters.
“But we’re certainly taking it as a potential attempted murder.”
The eldest child, who is paraplegic, suffered stab wounds to her abdomen and arm, according to NSW Ambulance.
The 13-year-old girl suffered three stab wounds to her abdomen and arm, and the 10-year-old boy suffered two superficial stab wounds to his chest.
The 47-year-old mother suffered stab wounds to her abdomen, which police believe were self-inflicted.
Det Superintendent Moore said those involved were a “relatively normal family” and the stabbing was “completely unexpected”.
The family were not known to police prior to the events that unfolded on Monday morning, and there is no history of domestic violence.
The children were transported to Westmead Children’s Hospital, while the mother was transported to Westmead Hospital, where she remains under police guard.
All four are in a stable condition.
Hills Police Area Command confirmed police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
