A one-armed teenage girl who was allegedly tortured and thrown almost 20 metres off a bridge into a river at 5am has revealed how she considered letting herself drown because she couldn’t swim.
Kayla Kendrigan, 19, was allegedly forced into the boot of a car, driven to a home in Whalan in Sydney’s west, brutally tortured and then thrown off Windsor Bridge into the Hawkesbury River in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The teenager, who was born without her left hand, said she floated on her back as freezing cold water stung bleeding wounds covering her body – allegedly inflicted by a group of four people who have since been charged with her attempted murder.
‘I was just thinking to myself ‘Do I let myself drown?’,’ the brave teenager told A Current Affair while reliving the painful moments she floated in the water.
‘My whole body was frozen because the water felt like I was thrown into ice.
Kayla Kendrigan, 19, has revealed how she considered letting herself drown because she couldn’t swim after being thrown off a bridge into a freezing river
The teenager, who was born without her left hand, said she floated on her back as freezing cold water stung bleeding wounds covering her body
Ms Kendrigan was born with half an arm, and according to her dad has been ‘going through hell since she was five’.
Her brother, Aaron, said his sister had lived her whole life not being able to do things with two hands but nothing could prepare her for what happened.
Ms Kendrigan was allegedly kidnapped and tortured on Saturday night towards the early hours of Sunday by four people she thought were her friends.
She was taken to a home where she was tied to a chair and yelled at.
‘When they put me in the boot, all I could think of was, ‘what are they going to do to me? Why are they doing this to me? What did I ever do to them?,’ she told ACA.
‘I can’t remember some of it because they did stuff to me and I blacked out to the point where I was asking ‘where am I? Where am I?’
‘Just thinking about my family, if I die, like…I can’t explain…I thought I was not going to survive…I was not going to see anyone anymore.
Ms Kendrigan was transported to the bridge (pictured) in the boot of a car before she was thrown into the Hawkesbury River, police will allege
Her parents, Ian and Teresa, also spoke about the horrific attack and torture their daughter endured.
‘All you want to do as a parent is take care of your child,’ her mum said.
Police allege Ms Kendrigan, who has ‘below average learning ability’, was bound to a chair with a phone charger, stabbed in the thigh with a knife, hit with a baseball bat, had her hair hacked off and was set alight during a six-hour ordeal.
The teenage girl’s ‘significant birth defect’ meant she could not fight back, according to police facts.
The alleged torture ended with her being thrown into the river at about 5am with her mouth still bound.
Two of the four accused of Ms Kendrigan’s attack have been revealed to be single parents. Pictured: Alleged attacker Matthew Leuthwaite, who is a father-of-three
Brooke Brown (pictured), 19, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and robbery with wounding
Brooke Brown, 19, Matthew Leuthwaite, 22, a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with a variety of offences including attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping.
Brown and Leuthwaite reportedly have a three-year-old son, who lives with his mother, Ms Kendrigan and another person, in the very same house the victim was allegedly tortured in.
The child was being looked after by a family member on the night of the incident.
Ms Brown’s sister, Karissa Lee Waldron, said while her sibling was behind bars she’s ‘got to raise my nephew and tell him where his mummy is’.
Mr Leuthwaite is a father-of-three, with each of his children having different mothers.
Ms Kendrigan’s sister, Imogen Gibson, said both the victim and her family are ‘heartbroken’.
Co-accused 22-year-old Brooke Brown (pictured) has a child with Mr Leuthwaite
‘I never will be able to understand why someone would do this to her. She was always sweet and gentle. She never got into fights or hit anyone,’ Ms Gibson told news.com.au.
‘It pains my heart so much because my sister was born with one arm, so she has never been able to swim or fight, but she fought through that terrible night like a fighter.’
Brown has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and robbery with wounding. She was refused bail and will face court on November 23.
Just after 2pm on Wednesday, the 17-year-old girl was also arrested at a police station.
Leuthwaite was arrested and refused bail on charges of attempted murder, detain for advantage in company, aggravated robbery and wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Mr Leuthwaite (pictured) is a father-of-three, with each of his children having different mothers
If the alleged attackers (pictured is Mr Leuthwaite) are found guilty, they could face a 25-year sentence
Matthew Leuthwaite (pictured) was arrested on Wednesday and was refused bail
A 16-year-old boy was the fourth person arrested about 9am on Thursday.
He was charged with attempted murder, detain in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm, aggravated robbery, and wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He was refused bail to appear before a children’s court on Friday.
The accused face a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if found guilty.
Mr Leuthwaite was charged with attempted murder, detain for advantage in company, aggravated robbery and wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
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