The 10-year-old boy allegedly punched in the head during an attack in Melbourne’s CBD was in the city receiving treatment for brain cancer.
His mother, Cherie, was allegedly stabbed multiple times after trying to protect him, after a 27-year-old man from Sunshine West allegedly attacked them unprovoked.
Heroic bystanders intervened and rushed to the family’s aid, restraining the man until police arrived.
The boy was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and has required ongoing hospital treatment since, his uncle told the Herald Sun.
“What happened to my sister and my nephews is disgusting. It should never have happened,” her brother, Kirk Holt, told the publication.
He said the ordeal had left the family traumatised.
“We couldn’t turn the lights off (in the hospital room) last night because (the kids) were so stressed,” he said.
“This has really affected them and scared them. They are all on edge.”
Mr Holt said his sister was left with a fractured leg and injuries to the ligaments around her neck.
He said the alleged blow “knocked” his nephew “to the ground”.
Cherie remained at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Wednesday, where her condition was listed as stable. Her son was assessed at the Royal Children’s Hospital following the attack.
27-year-old Sunshine West man, Jerry Sowood, was arrested and later charged.
The Herald Sun reported Mr Sowood argued in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday that because the mother and son survived the attack, he had “kept my humanity”.
“I punched the kid in the head, I took the scissors and I stabbed the woman in the head,” he told the court.
“No need to hide it … at least they’re both still breathing, you know, so I kept my humanity. (They) might be somewhat traumatised.”
He also told the court there was “no family that was torn apart”.
“Even though I did what I did, the mum did not lose her child,” he said.
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