Man ‘seizes child hostage’ outside Sydney family court

A police cordon has been put in place around the court complex in the suburb of Parramatta. Officers have confirmed an operation is under way, but have given no further details apart from saying they do not know why the man entered the building.

Australian media report the man entered the building with an 11-year-old girl, wearing a lawyer’s wig.

Reportedly, the hostage standoff was triggered when the man entered an office complex with his daughter, demanding to see a person he believed to work there, and told the receptionist he had “a bomb in his backpack.”

Assistant Police Commissioner Dennis Clifford said that police were “very concerned” about the man’s comments.



“Until we have possession of the backpack we will remain very concerned about it. There are a number of specialist units in there. We remained very concerned about [the girl’s] safety,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clifford, as saying.



Appealing for the man to end the siege, he said: “Please work with the police negotiators, we’re not here to harm you.”



“We are desperately trying to reach a peaceful resolution and whatever the issues are that the man is discussing with our negotiators, I’m sure we can work through them,” he added.



The heart of Parramatta remains shut down due to the hostage drama.