Girl writes heart-breaking letter to Father Christmas asking him to stop 'dad hurting mummy'

Part of a huge number received by Australian charity Mothers Against Drugs, which helps deprived children

The girl also asked for a pet guinea pig (Rex)

A 12-year-old girl has written a heartrending letter to Father Christmas, asking him help her “dad not to hurt mummy”.

In the letter, part of a huge number received by Australian charity Mothers Against Drugs, the unnamed girl also reportedly asked for a pet guinea pig “to love”.

Volunteer and founder June Hintz, said it was sadly typical of many of the letters they received by children from among the poorest bracket of society in Beenleigh, Queensland, Australia.

The little girl told Santa she had been very good, and also asked for a school bag and “school books please”.

Mrs Hintz’s Christmas appeal, Be an Elf, last year helped roughly 700 children from 400 families along the Gold Coast during the holiday period. This year she hopes to help even more.

Just under half a million Australian women reported experience some form of domestic violence in the past twelve months, according to the latest survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

After the letter was published in local newspaper the Gold Coast Bulletin Mrs Hintz reported she had received a deluge of calls and offers to help.

“The number of calls and messages and emails have been unbelievable,” she told the Gold Coast Bulletin. “It’s been fantastic.”