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Health

Girl in acute psychosis killed 10-year-old in rural Australia after mother dismissed mental health warning signs

Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 06:22 · 1 min read

A coronial inquest in New South Wales, Australia, has heard that a 14-year-old girl experiencing acute psychosis killed 10-year-old Biddy Porter on 8 July 2020, at a rural property where the two had been left alone during school holidays. Two psychiatrists determined the girl had schizophrenia and was in a psychotic state at the time, and a NSW Supreme Court found her not criminally responsible due to mental illness in 2021. The inquest, examining possible systemic failings before the killing, revealed that despite escalating warning signs — including self-harm, an obsession with knives, and a confession to her mother that she thought about killing people constantly — the girl's mother said she did not believe in mental health and had consulted a naturopathic herbalist rather than a psychiatrist, only booking a GP appointment days before the fatal incident.

Sources
The GuardianWoman says she ‘didn’t understand mental health’ before daughter experiencing acute psychosis killed another child ↗︎
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