GUILTY Australia - Kiesha Weippeart, 6, Mount Druitt, NSW, 18 July 2010 - #1

[butwhatif?]

Finally found some links link to back up my posts from last night.

Police confirmed they seized a vacuum cleaner, a computer and clothing from Mr Smith and Ms Abrahams' house.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...on-of-girls-body/story-e6frf7l6-1225901863985

Her comments follow statements by Mr Weippeart that Kiesha had been bitten by an adult. Channel Nine reported last night that her mother, Kristi Abrahams, had been charged with assault over the incident, but had no conviction recorded against her.

I heard about this last night too, but wasn't sure of the channel so didn't post:

Police searched quarries in Mount Druitt and bushland and dams in Marsden Park, where - according to a tip-off - a girl fitting Kiesha's description had been led away by a man on either Saturday or Sunday morning. The search is to continue today.

The NSW Ombudsman's office has announced it will investigate the role of government agencies in the child's protection. It is an unusual move, as previous inquiries have occurred only after a child had been found dead.


The inquiry follows reports that at least three government departments - Community Services, Health and Education - had been involved with the girl.


The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, called for details of all files held by government departments. He said that in the light of concerns raised in recent days, he would be conducting inquiries into relevant activities by key agencies before the child's disappearance.


In the two key cases that led up to the 2008 Wood special commission on child protection services - that of Dean Shillingworth and the one involving the child known only as Ebony - both cases emerged only once the child had died.


The Herald reported yesterday that Kiesha had previously been removed from, and then returned, to her mother.

http://nqr.farmonline.com.au/news/m...here-is-kieshas-body/1905968.aspx?storypage=3


I had been thinking of Dean too.

I really don't want this to come across the wrong way, but I feel it needs to be addressed.

Both kids are of koori decent- which has nothing to do with home lifestyle , but is an important factor for the gvt agencies and politics.

I have to wonder if these 3 agencies who 'failed' these children, did so under the the real or imagined threat of family pulling the race card. ie: Another stolen generation.

It's a hot topic, it always has been, and always will be.
JMO, MOO, and all that.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Burney takes interest in Kiesha siblings

NSW Community Services Minister Linda Burney has admitted taking an interest in the welfare of missing Sydney girl Kiesha Abrahams' two younger siblings.

Ms Burney on Friday declined to comment on the search for the six-year-old, now entering its sixth day.

But she revealed she had looked into the welfare of Kiesha's two siblings, three-year-old sister Brianna and newborn brother Levi.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...terest-in-kiesha-siblings-20100806-11ltv.html

 

[revampz]

Finally found some links link to back up my posts from last night.




http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...on-of-girls-body/story-e6frf7l6-1225901863985



I heard about this last night too, but wasn't sure of the channel so didn't post:





http://nqr.farmonline.com.au/news/m...here-is-kieshas-body/1905968.aspx?storypage=3


I had been thinking of Dean too.

I really don't want this to come across the wrong way, but I feel it needs to be addressed.

Both kids are of koori decent- which has nothing to do with home lifestyle , but is an important factor for the gvt agencies and politics.

I have to wonder if these 3 agencies who 'failed' these children, did so under the the real or imagined threat of family pulling the race card. ie: Another stolen generation.

It's a hot topic, it always has been, and always will be.
JMO, MOO, and all that.

I am in North Qld so we see it alot.....my father was head of the aboriginal liason police here so we have seen alot of bad and very, very sad situations.

and I can definitely tell you that the departments do tipetoe because of racial discrimination accusations. Which really is such a shame sometimes for the children who need care.......

 

[nursebeeme]

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Robert Smith said that homicide detectives had identified him as the key suspect in the little girl's disappearance - and likely murder.

"Absolutely, they think I did it," he said.

Police last night confirmed they seized a vacuum cleaner, a computer and clothing from Mr Smith and Ms Abrahams' house for forensic testing.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...ahams-stepfather/story-e6freooo-1225902309714

 

[nursebeeme]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/little-girl-lost-and-a-city-searches-for-answers-20100806-11oii.html

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mother of missing Kiesha escapes to hotel

Sitting alone and deep in thought outside a western Sydney motel room yesterday, Kristi Abrahams' mind was no doubt awash with fear and doubt.

The mother of missing six-year-old Kiesha Abrahams fled her Mt Druitt home mid-morning for the relative obscurity of the suburban motel, desperate to escape the glare that has enveloped her family since her daughter disappeared on Sunday.

More: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...escapes-to-hotel/story-e6frf7l6-1225902341654

 

[butwhatif?]

Here's a snapshot from Idaho's link. Not gonna say what I want to say :shutup: :shutup: :shutup:

 

[butwhatif?]

Mother of missing Kiesha escapes to hotel

Sitting alone and deep in thought outside a western Sydney motel room yesterday, Kristi Abrahams' mind was no doubt awash with fear and doubt.

The mother of missing six-year-old Kiesha Abrahams fled her Mt Druitt home mid-morning for the relative obscurity of the suburban motel, desperate to escape the glare that has enveloped her family since her daughter disappeared on Sunday.

More: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...escapes-to-hotel/story-e6frf7l6-1225902341654

Odd that they didn't go to stay with family for more support, especially with a newborn. :waitasec:

Glad to see this bit though:

Two women, believed to have been from the Department of Community Services, also visited the pair during the afternoon.

 

[butwhatif?]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/little-girl-lost-and-a-city-searches-for-answers-20100806-11oii.html

Thanks for the link nurse. Lot's of interesting tidbits in there.

Ms Marshall also complains that Ms Abrahams was misrepresented in a television interview arranged through the assistance of Paul Teerman, an Aboriginal liaison officer at Penrith court and an acquaintance of Ms Abrahams's family.

''She's been [wrongly] tarnished as a bad mother, a substance abuser and all this stuff,'' Ms Marshall said. ''The point never got across the way she wanted it to. She got really intimidated when the camera was on.''

They did nothing of the sort in that interview! Geez! If she got intimidated by the camera- that's nobodys fault!

Perhaps so. But Ms Marshall also denies Kiesha's admission to hospital, when she was about 18 months old, for treatment to an adult's bite to her shoulder. Ms Abrahams was charged with that assault but no conviction was recorded.

Why? Why no recorded conviction for assaulting an 18 mth old? :banghead: :furious:

The Education Department had referred Kiesha's truancy to its legal department for action and Ms Abrahams had been a client of other government agencies, including the Department of Community Services.

The Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, is investigating the roles of government agencies in Kiesha's life. Said the Premier, Kristina Keneally: ''There is no child protection system in the world that can guarantee the absolute safety of every child.''

Then there's this:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...terest-in-kiesha-siblings-20100806-11ltv.html

NSW Community Services Minister Linda Burney has admitted taking an interest in the welfare of missing Sydney girl Kiesha Abrahams' two younger siblings.

"The answer is yes, but I am very much being led by what the police are advising us at the moment," she told ABC Radio, when asked if she had paid a special interest to the children's welfare.

"People know that there is a homicide investigation involved and we need to be very careful and responsible about what we say."

Ms Burney defended the state's child protection system, which recently had a $750 million shake-up, following recommendations of a 2008 special commission of inquiry.

Under the changes, only children deemed at significant risk are now handled by the Department of Community Services (DoCs)

All other cases are managed by non-government organisations and government agencies within the health, housing, police and education sectors.

Sorry, but that's a load of carp! I personally know a 7 yr old girl who was taken from her family by DoCS a few weeks ago, because she constantly had headlice, was verbally abused by her parents, and was neglected. (She is doing a lot better in her foster home though).

They seem to take more action with neglect than abuse imo.

I really do think that the cultural issue plays a huge role in the depts action or inaction. It sucks, but they are in a political hotspot, especially after the long-awaited "Sorry" by gvt.

After all that ranting, I have to say that there are some wonderful DoCS case workers, who are underpaid, and overloaded with cases to the point of burnout. People need to stop calling DoCS out of revenge and spite, and call them when it really matters.
And a big thank you to all of the wonderful foster parents out there who protect and nurture these children.

 

[butwhatif?]

A (pretty accurate, imo) article that focuses on the area that Kiesha grew up in:
http://mybiz.optus.com.au/news/177957/missing-girl-s-way-of-life-in-west-bleak.html

Quiet, placid at times, she could be bubbly and funny at others.

But step inside the block of flats in Sydney's west where Kiesha lived and the circumstances of her life couldn't seem more grim.

It's a place where windows are barred and broken, where the carpet moulders, where neighbours talk of covering their cars with a tarpaulin at night to stop the smash-and-grab of valuables.

One resident greeted The Weekend Australian this week with a shaking and iodine-stained hand, track marks climbing his arm like a termite trail.

"Our heart goes out to that little girl, but people just don't take it seriously when something bad happens around here," said Alexandra Wells, 16. "It's the slums, Mount Druitt. You just feel intimidated being here. It's happened before; it'll happen again."

This is unfortunately all too true. So many people (not all) living in the area are totally anti-cop and anti DoCS. If they saw a child getting their head smashed in by an adult, they'd be more likely to turn a blind eye, or use vigilante justice, rather than pick up the phone. If you do call the cops or DoCS you're labelled a dog and a rat....and you better watch your back.

I can't tell you how many times BIL has had things stolen from his house by guests- friends even.
Their next-door neighbour once slapped my 8yr old neice across her face for asking if she could get her ball that went over the fence.
I asked BIL why he didn't call the police. His response "What for? What are they gonna do about it? I'm not gonna be a dog". :banghead:

The local unemployment rate (for the Blacktown southwest area) was 13.3 per cent in 2008 - nearly triple the current national average of 5.1 per cent.

DOCS last year examined the relationship between child protection reporting in NSW and socio-economic factors and which communities had proved "resilient'' by reporting lower levels of child abuse and neglect than these factors would anticipate.

Metro-West, which includes Mount Druitt, was the only region found to be 100 per cent "non-resilient".

In other words, nothing holds back the tide of disadvantage from swamping the children in the area.

What I'm trying to get at here, is that we can't just blame the 'system'. People need to start stepping up and reporting the things that aren't right.
But the question is how to get them talking? How to stop their fears of talking to protect these kids and each other?

 

[butwhatif?]

The search continues for Kiesha....Bless all the police officers, SES workers and volunteers. You're all angels on earth :hug:

 

[revampz]

wow that picture above of the policeman up to his neck......

 

[butwhatif?]

wow that picture above of the policeman up to his neck......

I know! Don't you just want to hug him? All of them?
Proof that cops really are tops! (My kids have the sticker- lol)

Am just about to leave to visit the memorial site with my girls...

 

[tiff07]

I know! Don't you just want to hug him? All of them?
Proof that cops really are tops! (My kids have the sticker- lol)

Am just about to leave to visit the memorial site with my girls...

The police do a remarkable job. Unfortunately police presence isn't as feared and respected as it was 30 years ago, police today have less control and are nowhere near remmunerated adequately. Police, ambos, hospital staff, firefighters and teachers are an integral part of our countries workers and yet they are only paid around half of what they are worth for what they do imo.

 

[tiff07]

Hope im allowed to post this and it works, please delete otherwise.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/07/2976526.htm?section=justin

Police following new lead in Kiesha case
Updated 16 minutes ago


Missing: Kiesha Abrahams. (NSW Police)

Related Story: Stepdad says police think he killed Kiesha Related Story: 'Stop judging me' missing girl's mother tells media Related Story: Search widens for missing girl Kiesha Related Story: Ombudsman steps in to Kiesha case Police say a neighbour of missing six-year-old Sydney girl Kiesha Abrahams has reported seeing her in the week before she went missing.

Kiesha was reported missing from her Mount Druitt home last Sunday by her mother, but until now had reportedly not been seen by anyone outside her immediate family for a month.

Her mother, Kristi Abrahams, told police she last saw her daughter when she put her to bed on Saturday night.

Police say they are now investigating reports provided by a female neighbour who claims she saw the young girl on their street on July 23 or 24.

They are following up the sighting and calling for anyone with more information to come forward.

Today police continued their search for Kiesha in waterways in the Marsden Park area of western Sydney.

A spokeswoman for NSW Police Media says officers spoke to one of the girl's male relatives last night about her disappearance, but she refused to reveal what relationship the person has to the girl.

On Friday Kiesha's stepfather said police had asked him where he dumped her body.

Robert Smith told The Daily Telegraph that police "absolutely ... think I did it".

He said detectives "got tough" with him on Wednesday night and demanded he show them where her body was.

"They said, 'Lead us to her body' and that sort of thing. It was pretty tough," he said.

Mr Smith denied killing Kiesha, saying he loved her as if she were his own daughter.

Tags: community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, police, missing-person, australia, nsw, sydney-2000

 

[tiff07]

I wonder who the male relative is that Police spoke to, but aren't revealing what relationship he had to Kiesha? There was a man with the same reddish coloured highlights / hair dye in his hair as the little girls mother in the news that captured my attention. It left me wondering if Kieshas mum was recently doing some home hairdressing on this guy and herself and if so, was he able to verify seeing Kiesha during this time? Then I saw another photo of the same man and my heart sank, amongst other things he had his hands in his pockets and I have felt very uneasy about him ever since. Jmo of course.

 

[butwhatif?]

I wonder who the male relative is that Police spoke to, but aren't revealing what relationship he had to Kiesha? There was a man with the same reddish coloured highlights / hair dye in his hair as the little girls mother in the news that captured my attention. It left me wondering if Kieshas mum was recently doing some home hairdressing on this guy and herself and if so, was he able to verify seeing Kiesha during this time? Then I saw another photo of the same man and my heart sank, amongst other things he had his hands in his pockets and I have felt very uneasy about him ever since. Jmo of course.

It's kinda freaky that you're thinking about this, because when I was at the memorial site thisafternoon, I was talking to the (alleged- he didn't show me ID -lol) husband of the woman who works in the salon where Kristi gets her hair done. I wasn't going to say anything about it because it seemed more like gossip....
But since you brought it up, the husband says that she was a regular there.

When I arrived there, a woman approached me asking if I knew what was going down right now, because there was a bunch of police cars on Richmond Rd and it looked like something big was happening.

Within minutes, 2 of the media trucks pulled out and took off in a hurry.....

Am pretty tired now, so will just give a quick rundown while I wait for pics to upload. (eta- they are taking forever to upload)

Park is right next to Kieshas block of units. The articles were true- cars are covered in tarps in the unit block.
Weird style roof that I hope was checked.
Almost directly opposite the block is vacant land with some sheep and a big green water tank. Got pics which I'll upload soon.

So many places within , say a 2km radius where a body could be hidden- Honestly, Just. Soooooo. Many.

All people were calm at the 'memorial' site. No protesters- all very respectful, but many whispers pointing the finger at Mum.
Kids eagerly relightling flames of candles blown out by the wind.

Kids (even mine) leaving their very favourite toys for Kiesha, and leaving heartbreakingly hopeful letters and cards.

Couple of things I want to add. DD's ipod dropped out of her pocket while we were there. A few mins later a young boy was holding it above his head trying to locate the owner.
Hubby gave the kid 5 bucks for being so honest.
Then a somebody dropped their wallet. Again someone held it above their head calling out, "who lost their wallet?" ....so I just wanted to share the good side of people in the area.

And something a little divine. As we were leaving DD said to me "Look Mummy, there's six stars above Kieshas house, and thats how old she is"....

And she was right. In a blanket of the dark night sky, there were exactly 6 twinkling stars shining above the unit where Kiesha once lived.

 

[butwhatif?]

pics from today...

^Across the road from Kieshas unit

^ The park, right next to Kiesha's units

^ candles and wax covering the mailboxes

^ Cars with tarps

^ Kieshas unit

^ Kieshas wall

Kieshas wall #2

 

[tiff07]

Thank you so much for sharing all this butwhatif?. That's beautiful what your children and others did, leaving their favourite toys for Kiesha. I've thought about the possibility of the Mum having done something to Kiesha and figure that if she did (and acted alone) she wouldn't have ventured far with a newborn to dispose of the body. Wonder if whatever was going down on Richmond Rd is related to this case? You have me intrigued.

 

[butwhatif?]

Sorry the pictures aren't great....It felt really weird. The sleuth in me wanted to snap from every angle, but it just felt really disrespectful, KWIM?

And I was too much of a wuss to ask the channel 9 reporter what the Richmond Rd info was about. LOL.