6 days Ago By Liam Beatty
A teenager charged after an alleged attack on Labor MP John Burns’ St Kilda office will seek to reach a deal with police, a court has been told. Matilda McDermott, 19, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday as her lawyer said the case had been resolved after negotiations with prosecutors. “We had a brief chat this morning, it’s now resolved; however, the prosecution are not currently amenable to diversion,” she said, asking for the case to be pushed off to the new year.
Ms McDermott was charged by police with offences including two counts of criminal damage and one count of burglary earlier this year after Mr Burns’ office was attacked about 3.20am on June 19. At the time, police said at least five people broke through windows and painted walls with political slogans, including “Zionism is fascism”.
Horns were drawn on an image of Mr Burns. According to court documents, police have estimated the damage bill at $55,000. She was also charged with allegedly participating in a separate incident two days earlier when the French Consulate was doused in red pain.
Defence lawyer Amy Hale said prosecutors had indicated they would accept a deal with one charge of criminal damage and one charge of failing to provide her phone’s password would proceed with the other alleged offences withdrawn. But Ms Hale said defence would be seeking a diversion — where young and low-risk offenders avoid a criminal record — but prosecutors had not been able to contact Detective Senior Constable Brian Bevan to see if he supported the action. “At the moment we’re not agreeable to diversion but happy to look at what the defence have got,” a police prosecutor said.
Diversion would allow Ms McDermott to avoid a criminal conviction by accepting responsibility for their actions and undertaking conditions that benefit the alleged victim, the community and themselves. If the resolution proceeds as planned, charges related to Ms McDermott’s alleged involvement in the attack on Mr Burns’ office would be withdrawn. The case was adjourned by magistrate Kay Robertson to return to court on February 18.
“Keep talking before we come back to court please,” she said. Outside court, Ms McDermott, who covered her face, declined to comment as a family member attempted to block a news photographer..
