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Premier dodges questions after more than 100 charges against teen dropped

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has dodged questions about thresholds for criminal responsibility in young people, after a 14-year-old girl had more than 100 charges against her dropped.

The 14-year-old girl was facing 109 charges for an alleged two-month spree of incidents, including some alleged anti-semitic attacks. She was denied bail in April due to the severity of her alleged offences.

Police today withdrew the charges after the prosecution was unable to reach the Doli incapax legal threshold that the girl, who was 13 at the time of the alleged offences, was capable of committing a criminal offence.

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"The charges were withdrawn because the police prosecution was unable to rebut the legal presumption that a child aged 13 and under is incapable of committing a criminal offence," A Victoria Police spokesperson told 9News.

"This is a high legal threshold that requires the prosecution to prove the child knew their conduct was seriously morally wrong."

The premier today agreed the teen's behaviour was "far from in line with community expectation".

"As a parent it is quite shocking to think that there are kids that age undertaking this sort of behaviour and it's showing them the consequences of what happens if you continue down that path," Allan said.

"That sort of behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and it's why we've toughened the bail laws, it's why we've introduced adult time for adult crime."

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But Allan and Victorian Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny were both unwilling to comment on why the teen was let off.

"In terms of the specifics of the individual or individual court case I've not been briefed on that matter," Allan said.

"I will need to get further advice and come back to you."

When asked whether the government would look into reviewing the Doli incapax ruling, Kilkenny said she was "not here to make an announcement on those matters".

"Every matter is different with every victim, with every offender we are talking about different circumstances, which is why it is so important not to pull out individual cases but look to a system as a whole," Kilkenny said.

Police had alleged the girl's phone search history showed she had Googled "how long the sentence is for running someone over", as well as "where do Jews live" prior to some offences.

"If you're old enough to be able to Google the punishment, then you should be certainly old enough to take the punishment," Opposition spokesperson David Southwick said.

"I think this young person would be laughing at Victoria and our legal system right now."

In one incident on March 30, the girl was allegedly behind the wheel of a stolen car in Brighton in Melbourne's south-east and attempted to hit a cyclist with the passenger door of the car.

The court heard about other alleged incidents targeting Jewish people, including antisemitic remarks shouted at pedestrians in Hampton, Ripponlea and Caulfield, and swerving towards a Jewish family in Ripponlea in March — causing them to run for cover.

Victoria Police insisted the concerns of the Jewish community were still being taken into account despite the withdrawal of the charges.

"We understand the concern these incidents have caused in the community, especially for members of the Jewish community," the spokesperson said.

Reported with AAP

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Top barrister spared jail time for ‘blatant dishonesty’

A top barrister from a prominent legal family has been spared jail time after trying to falsely claim fees from vulnerable class action clients.

Norman O'Bryan, who is related to three judges, clearly breached the trust of the Banksia Securities class action members, Victorian County Court Judge Fran Dalziel said.

But the 68-year-old's remorse and longstanding good character meant he could be sufficiently punished without being sent to jail, the judge said.

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Photo of  Norman O'Bryan leaving the county court with his wife on Thursday 14 May 2026. LUIS ENRIQUE ASCUI

He was instead convicted and sentenced to a four-year community corrections order with 600 hours of unpaid community work – the maximum amount that can be ordered by the court.

"This was not a subtle crossing of the line," Judge Dalziel said in her sentencing remarks on Thursday.

"The dishonesty was blatant and would have been obvious to Mr O'Bryan as he carried it out."

Banksia Securities collapsed in October 2012, owing about $663 million to more than 16,000 debenture holders, many of whom were elderly and lost their retirement funds.

A judge approved a $64 million settlement for class action members, and about $20 million in fees and commissions for lawyers, including O'Bryan.

O'Bryan's offending was uncovered after Wendy Botsman, a retired nurse and debenture holder, appealed against the Supreme Court settlement as the legal fees attached were excessive.

O'Bryan and another lawyer, who has since died, attempted to dissuade Botsman from pursuing her appeal by threatening her with further costs.

But her appeal was upheld, and the matter was remitted to the Supreme Court, where a judge found against O'Bryan in 2021.

Justice John Dixon ordered more than $20 million to be recovered, and O'Bryan sold his house to pay back $1.25 million.

He declared bankruptcy, was struck off as a barrister in 2021, and returned his Order of Australia medal.

Police began investigating O'Bryan in 2022 and found he billed the class action members at the same time as being overseas or representing other clients in court, including the ACCC.

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Photo of  Norman O'Bryan leaving the county court with his wife on Thursday 14 May 2026. LUIS ENRIQUE ASCUI

None of the clients was made to pay the falsely claimed fees, but Judge Dalziel found harm was still caused, and O'Bryan's conduct should be condemned.

"He breached the trust of his clients and failed to act with the integrity required of lawyers in general and senior counsel in particular," the judge said.

But Judge Dalziel accepted O'Bryan had shown remorse by pleading guilty to a charge of attempting to obtain a financial advantage by deception.

He was also of prior good character through his years of extensive pro-bono work, and there was little to no chance he would re-offend, the judge found.

She sentenced O'Bryan to the four-year corrections order with conviction, noting he would have been jailed for two years if he had not pleaded guilty.

O'Bryan's father and grandfather – both also named Norman O'Bryan – spent decades as Supreme Court judges during the 20th century.

His brother Michael O'Bryan was made a Federal Court judge in 2019 and on Thursday handed down a landmark decision in the consumer watchdog's case against Coles.

O'Bryan's other brother, Stephen, became a silk in 2003.

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