Mother stabbed and leg broken in Melbourne CBD attack urges harsher penalties

Cherie Holt and her 10-year-old son were assaulted outside the Victoria Police headquarters on Spencer Street when a man punched the boy and then turned on Holt, stabbing her four times and breaking her leg. Bystanders held the attacker down until officers could intervene. Holt, who had traveled from Phillip Island for her son's three-monthly scan for a rare brain tumour, released a statement through Royal Melbourne Hospital describing the incident as one of the worst moments of her family's life and urging the state government to strengthen penalties for violent crime.

She thanked the rescuers who intervened and the hospital staff who treated her injuries. Police have charged 27-year-old Jerry Sowood with multiple offences, including intentionally causing injury, and he remains in custody awaiting a November hearing. The case highlights concerns about street violence in Melbourne's central business district.