An appalling act of cruelty has seen the Victorian government finally rushing to put up security fences on Melbourne's highest bridge.
Yesterday a four-year-old girl was thrown to her death from the West Gate Bridge by her own father, but the public's fury is directed at the politicians, not just him.
Rescuers rushed to help the little girl, but she died later in hospital. Her father has been charged with her murder.
It was meant to be her first day at school, and was just days before her fifth birthday, but Darcey Iris Freeman never got to enjoy either of those big occasions for a little girl.
"He's got out of the car, taken this young girl and dropped her over the side of the bridge," says Detective Inspector Steve Clark, Victoria police.
Witnesses say she did not cry and did not struggle. She was limp as she fell the 58m, the height of a 17-storey building.
Unlikely as it seems police say she initially survived the fall, and paramedics frantically tried to save her. As they failed, her father got back in his car and drove off, with Darcy's two brothers in the back seat.
"It's a dreadful set of circumstances," says Mr Clark. "You think you've seen it all, but you haven't. Particularly distressing for family members but for the witnesses who saw what occurred, a number of those people are upset and I've got a number of police here who have young children themselves."
Her father, Arthur Freeman, an IT employee was found in a distressed state in the city. He was arrested and charged with murder. He and his wife were in a custody dispute.
The 35-year-old has since been deemed unfit to be interviewed by police. He is in an acute psychiatric state and on suicide watch. He is next expected in court in May.
Plans are already being drawn up to install safety barriers on the bridge after emergency talks with Victoria's roading authority, but many are asking why the barriers were not put in place long before now.
"I don't want to get into the blame game about previous governments or when it was first built," says Steve Brumby, Victoria premier. "The fact is it needs to be addressed now."
Darcey's distraught mother and brothers are now receiving counselling, so too the paramedics and police who tried desperately to save her life.
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