Perth dad who set daughter on fire says he cries himself to sleep
The Perth father who set his three-year-old daughter on fire because “she was too beautiful” says he now cries himself to sleep.
Edward Herbert says he has no memory of the August 2015 night, where an off-duty officer ran into the family’s Doubleview home and pulled the two young girls to safety.
The drug user admits he poured petrol over the three-year-old girl’s head and doused her autistic seven-year-old sister but has pleaded not guilty to the charges on grounds of insanity.
The little girl suffered burns to 13 per cent of her body, but survived with permanent scars.
In a letter written to his partner seven months after the attack, Herbert claims the attack has “killed me over and over”.
"It's me, Eddy, not that crazy person that I hate,” he wrote in the latter.
“He's dead and never coming back. I cannot remember any of what happened on that night and it has killed me over and over so many times.”
Dad set daughter on fire because 'she was too beautiful'
Herbert sat emotionless in the dock on Wednesday, and at times yawned as doctors spoke about his heavy use of cannabis, alcohol and recent diagnosis of an underlying bipolar affective disorder.
"Babe, I'm so sorry and I've got to live with this for the rest of my life. It hurts so much,” Herbert said in the letter.
“You know I would love to make it better.
“Like I say to the kids, 'Dad will fix it later'. No, Dad will fix it now.
“You know how much I love you all."
The letter was shown as evidence on the third day of the judge-only trial.
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