Father on drugs sets 3-year-old daughter on fire because she was 'too beautiful'
A father has pleaded not guilty in an attempt to murder his two children on account of an unsound mind after he doused them both in petrol and set one on fire, the Supreme Court of Western Australia has heard.
His daughter, who was three at the time of the August 2015 incident, suffered "severe and life-threatening burns" that left her with permanent scars following the tragedy, reports say.
The father, Edward John Herbert, had been drinking and smoking cannabis on the day of the incident.
RELATED: What marijuana really does to your body and brain
A regular drinker and smoker, Herbert's use of the drug had reportedly "doubled" around the time of the offense, says prosecutor Amanda Forrester.
Forrester says in the statement his partner provided to the court, she detailed that Herbert had "doubled his cannabis use" leading up to the attack and noted that he had begun "getting angry all the time."
His partner has also provided that Herbert had been abusing the drug and alcohol throughout the entire day in question before he entered a rage later that night.
The woman said she grew fearful of Herbert after he had begun uttering threatening remarks like, "the werewolf is coming," ABC reports.
SEE ALSO: Police: Man arrested after hitting child at least 62 times in five minutes with belt
But it wasn't until a few hours later that Herbert said, "that's it bitch, I am going to kill you," as he approached his daughter's room with a can of gasoline.
The father reportedly first doused his young daughter in the highly flammable substance and set her on fire before he started doing the same to his son.
Neighbor and off-duty police officer Stephanie Bochorsky rushed to the scene after hearing the screams from the family.
RELATED: Fire safety tips
After running into the room, Bochorsky reportedly held back tears once she was met with the horrific sight of the young girl enveloped in flames.
Bochorsky extinguished the fire by wrapping the 3-year-old in a blanket and rescued both children from the house.
Another neighbor, Dan McMilian, said he had also entered the house that evening and asked the father what happened, to which he replied that his daughter was "too beautiful."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't have lit my boy up," he reportedly added.
The trial has not yet concluded.
