Prosecutors Drop Murder Charge Against 12-Year-Old Girl

A murder charge against a 12-year-old girl has been dropped after prosecutors decided there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was accused of stabbing a woman to death in Melbourne’s inner west on Nov. 16, 2023. But prosecutors applied to withdraw the charge on Thursday morning (May 16), with a children’s court magistrate striking it out. While no reason was given in court, Victoria Police later confirmed the charge was withdrawn following significant consideration and advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. “It was the director’s position that there were not reasonable prospects of conviction in this matter because the prosecution would not have been able to rebut the presumption of doli incapax,” the statement read....