‘I think about killing’: Teen’s disclosure to family before slaying Bridgette ‘Biddy’ Porter
Two weeks before a teenager killed a 10-year-old girl, she made a disclosure to her mother that left her ‘horrified’, an inquest has been told.
A young girl who later killed Bridgette “Biddy” Porter was in need of “urgent medical attention” after the 14-year-old disclosed that she had thoughts of slaughtering family members and heard voices, a psychiatrist has told an inquest.
Bridgette, 10, was killed by a teenage girl – who can only be known as XR – at a Gunnedah home in northern central NSW on July 8, 2020.
A coronial inquest is examining her killing and XR’s mental health, including whether any red flags were missed that could have averted the tragedy.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.XR was found to be experiencing a psychotic episode at the time and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, with a court being told on Thursday that she was now likely to be medicated for the rest of her life after developing a severe form of the disorder.
She was charged with murder before the NSW Supreme Court in 2021 entered a special verdict of acts proven but not guilty due to mental illness.
XR remains in custody in juvenile detention, the court has been told.
Forensic psychiatrist Olav Nielssen on Thursday told the court that at the time of the killing, XR was in the midst of the early onset of schizophrenia.
He said it was rare for a 14-year-old to develop schizophrenia, with the onset typically being in the late teens or early 20s.
“It’s extremely, extremely rare for a 14-year-old girl to develop psychosis and kill someone,” counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer asked.
“Yes, I don’t know of another case,” Dr Nielssen told the court.
The court has been told details of XR’s behaviour in the years and months leading up to the killing, including in June 2019 when she slaughtered six chickens.
The court was previously told details of one of XR’s diary entries in which she said she fantasised about killing people, including her family, that she saw a “creepy cat’s eye” when in a dark room and heard a voice telling her to kill.
Ms Dwyer also told the inquest that XR’s mother had told police that she was left “horrified” about two weeks before the killing when the 14-year-old made a series of disclosures to her.
The court was told that XR told her mother “I think about killing people all the time” and on the day that she killed the chickens, she had thought about killing her parents in their sleep.
She also told the mother that she heard voices that told her “‘if you kill something, it will be OK,” the court was told.
The incident prompted XR’s mother to consult with a general practitioner with the intention of getting a referral to a psychiatrist.
The doctor faxed a referral to a Sydney-based psychiatrist; however, an appointment was not made before the killing, the court was told.
“In those circumstances if you were advising the community about what to do, what should a parent in those circumstances do?” Ms Dwyer asked.
Dr Nielssen said the symptoms indicated that XR needed “urgent medical attention”.
The court has been told that at the time hospital resources were stretched because of the COVID lockdowns, and psychiatric appointments sometimes take months in rural communities.
The inquest continues.
Originally published as ‘I think about killing’: Teen’s disclosure to family before slaying Bridgette ‘Biddy’ Porter
