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As investigators delved into the death of Hannah McGuire, her ex-boyfriend, who was suspected of her murder, was reportedly sending threatening letters to a witness he thought was part of the inquiry.
On Monday, Lachlan Young lost a bid to keep these witness intimidation and harassment charges kept secret.
The revelation comes after he ended his Supreme Court murder trial in July after eight days when he abruptly pleaded guilty to murdering McGuire.
The 23-year-old Sebastopol man had been on trial after the prosecutor rejected his guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Young appeared before Ballarat Magistrates Court via video link on Monday to face six charges of witness intimidation and harassment.
The hearing was adjourned to January 29, until after his sentence has been handed down.
It is alleged that Young attempted to intimidate a witness he believed was linked to the criminal case, with accusations stating he harassed the individual by dispatching menacing letters around July 23 of last year, according to court records.
The nature of these charges could not be publicly disclosed until Young’s trial concluded with a jury’s verdict or he admitted guilt to the murder charge.
On Monday, defense attorney Ryan Robertson argued against revealing Young’s separate charges until he had been sentenced by the Supreme Court.
He said no details of these alleged offences have been read out in court and Young is yet to enter a plea.
“It is somewhat premature to release that at this stage. There’s no burning urgency for this material to be disclosed,” Robertson said.
Magistrate Mike Wardell allowed the information to be reported, citing public interest following the murder charge being resolved.
The charred remains of 23-year-old McGuire were discovered inside her vehicle in regional Victoria on April 5 last year, only two weeks after her breakup with Young.
Following McGuire’s death, Young supposedly attempted to make it appear as a suicide and impersonated her in texts sent to her parents. He also reportedly transferred $2000 from her account to her mother and $5000 to himself.
Evidence from the murder trial revealed McGuire had been “terrified” of Young and had sought help from the police in February 2023, telling them his “controlling and turbulent” behaviour was escalating.
Days before her murder, Young had told a workmate that he planned to drug McGuire, drive her somewhere and crash the car while she was unconscious.
The victim had gone to their joint property to meet with Young but never left, and it is believed she was murdered between 1.50am and 2.53am on April 5 last year.
Before he changed his plea, Young had claimed McGuire’s death was an unplanned and spontaneous event after he had forcibly pushed her during an argument, causing her to fall and fatally hit her head on the bathroom floor.
He will face a pre-sentence hearing for the murder charge in October before returning to Ballarat Magistrates Court in January to face the separate charges.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14, Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491
