Relatives of a 10-year-old girl who died in north-west NSW last year have delivered powerful victim impact statements at the trial of the teenager accused of her murder.
Key points:
- A teenage girl is accused of killing a 10-year-old girl in July 2020
- Family members of the deceased girl have delivered victim impact statements to the court
- A verdict in the judge-alone trial is expected this afternoon
The defendant, who is now 15 years old and cannot be identified, is accused of killing the younger girl at a property in the Gunnedah region in July 2020.
Both the Crown and the defence have argued the accused could be found not criminally responsible for the act under new legislation, which covers accused people with mental health and cognitive impairments.
The second day of the trial in the NSW Supreme Court has heard statements from the deceased girl’s mother and grandparents.
Crown prosecutor Lee Carr read a statement from the girl’s mother, which said that no amount of medication or therapy would ease the pain of her daughter’s death.
“I have to take medication to sleep, to function, to focus,” she said.
The girl’s paternal grandmother was the only person to read a victim impact statement in person, in which she addressed the defendant personally.
“The defendant has destroyed my son and our family by your despicable acts,” she said.
She said her physical and mental health had significantly deteriorated since her granddaughter’s death.
“I now suffer from significant depression requiring medication and ongoing counselling,” she said.
The grandmother said she understood the reasons for a court suppression order preventing the girl from being identified, but said that as a consequence she was “nameless, anonymous, and this indescribable crime is hidden”.
Details of the deceased girl’s injuries cannot be reported due to a court suppression order.
A verdict in the judge-alone trial, presided over by Acting Justice Carolyn Simpson AO, is expected to be delivered this afternoon.