Arthur Freeman: The West Gate Bridge Child Killer

January 29, 2009 was supposed to be Darcey Freeman's first day of school. She was four years old. Instead, her father, Arthur Phillip Freeman, drove to the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, stopped the car, removed her from the back seat, walked her to the railing, and dropped her 58 metres into the Yarra River below. Her two young brothers were still sitting in the car.

One of them pleaded with his father to go back and get his sister. He told Freeman she couldn't swim.

Freeman kept walking.

What Led to the Bridge

Freeman and his ex-wife, Peta Barnes, had been locked in a bitter custody dispute through the Family Court of Australia. The day before the murder, the court had reduced Freeman's access to his children. Barnes had been granted more time with them. That night, Freeman made his decision.

The following morning, he had the children in his car for what was supposed to be a routine school run. Before reaching the bridge, he called Barnes. According to evidence presented at trial, he told her: "Say goodbye to your children."

Minutes later, Darcey was gone.

The Conviction and What Followed

Freeman was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 32 years. He is currently held at the Western Plains Correctional Centre, just west of Geelong, classified as a protected prisoner. The extreme nature of his crime — what authorities described as a premeditated use of a child as a weapon of revenge — makes him a consistent target within the general prison population, and his management is a standing priority for Corrections Victoria.

It is not the first time Freeman has been involved in jailhouse violence. In 2011, he was involved in a fight with another inmate and bit a corrections officer who stepped in to intervene.

The Prison Attack

Freeman, now 54, was hospitalised after being attacked by another inmate at the Western Plains Correctional Centre. Authorities confirmed he sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The attack was described as a severe beating. He was treated and remains in custody.

No further details about the other inmate involved have been publicly released by Corrections Victoria.