Sobbing parents face kill accused
Evidence to take 16 weeks
The grieving mother of a young woman found dead in a burnt-out car near Ballarat has sobbed as her daughter’s accused killer faced court charged with her murder.
Lachlan Young, 21, was flanked by custody officers as he was brought into the dock of Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning, charged with the murder of Delacombe Primary School teacher’s aide Hannah McGuire, 23.
Her remains were found on State Forest Rd in Scarsdale, southwest of Ballarat.
Sporting a blond mullet and a black and white shirt with the sleeves rolled up revealing a heavily tattooed right arm, Mr Young bowed his head and avoided looking into the gallery during the brief hearing.
Ms McGuire’s mother, Debbie, sobbed as she was brought into the court and as she sat in the front row. She was comforted by her husband, Glenn, sitting beside her.
Police prosecutor Steven Repac asked for 16 weeks to prepare a brief of evidence – 10 weeks longer than usual – to allow time for forensic analysis and CCTV footage to be obtained and analysed.
He said there were multiple crime scenes and the matter had some “complexity” to it.
Mr Young’s lawyer Crystal Caruana opposed the application, saying her client would not be able to launch a bail application in the Supreme Court until she had the brief.
“Police have swooped very quickly in this matter and it would appear there is enough evidence to charge him with murder,” she said.
She added it was her client’s first time in custody and he was in a “declining” mental state. The court heard Mr Young was prescribed antidepressants.
Magistrate Guillaume Bailin granted 16 weeks for the brief of evidence to be served and remanded him in custody until his next court date on September 19.
Outside court, Glenn McGuire was comforted by his wife and son, as lawyer Brooke Tamanika issued a statement on their behalf.
“As you can imagine, this is a very devastating time for the family, for Hannah’s loved ones, and for our community as a whole,” she said.
“The family have been assisting the police, however I cannot comment on the status of the matter.”
It comes as the communities of Ballarat and Clunes continued to reel from the shock of Ms McGuire’s sudden death.
Ms McGuire had been an educational support worker at Delacombe Primary School for four years helping with the out of school hours program.
Her young students have been left “heartbroken” by her death. “She was an amazing support teacher. We are all shattered to hear that she is no longer going to be at school to greet us with her bubbly smile,” a close friend said.
“All the kids she worked with love her very much and are heartbroken. She could always get a child to smile and feel welcomed. “We had the privilege of knowing Hannah for five years and will miss her terribly. “No words can describe the sadness we are all feeling as a school to lose a fantastic teacher and friend.
“She will be remembered for her smile and positivity and in the love these kids and families have for her.”
Ms McGuire’s former primary school teacher Dennis Twentyman, the brother of late youth worker Les, said she was a “vibrant” young woman whose family were doing it extremely tough.
“(She was) very bubbly, very vibrant … we are a great small community and she’s going to be very sorely missed,” he said, inside a small cafe and green grocer in Clunes.
“She was involved in the Good Friday Appeal doing her work for the community, raising a huge amount of funds.
“It’s unbelievable that she’s gone, she’s a lovely girl.”
Mr Twentyman, 71, who taught Ms McGuire at Clunes Primary School in the late 2000s, said the McGuire family were well respected and loved in the area. “They’re such a great family, it’s absolutely devastating and an absolute tragedy,” he added.