Supporters gathered outside the Victorian state library on Saturday to demand justice for Isla Bell, a 19-year-old whose body was found in a Melbourne tip 18 months ago. The protest came after prosecutors dropped a manslaughter charge against the man accused of killing her.
Marat Ganiev, 55, was originally charged with murdering Bell on 7 October 2024, but the charge was downgraded to manslaughter and then withdrawn this week due to insufficient evidence. He now faces a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Another man, Eyal Yaffe, 59, had charges of assisting an offender and attempting to pervert the course of justice withdrawn and walked free.
Bell's mother, Justine Spokes, addressed the vigil, expressing grief and frustration with the legal system, which she called 'sick and perverted'. She said she wanted to honour her daughter by choosing love over 'everything else' and called for tackling misogyny in Australia 'from the inside out'.
Bell's remains were found inside a fridge in a rubbish tip in Dandenong in November 2024, about six weeks after she died. Spokes said chemicals around her daughter's body prevented her from touching her one last time. Bell's grandfather, David, called on the Victorian attorney general to intervene, saying the accused should have faced a jury trial.
Friends and relatives remembered Bell as a loving, courageous young woman with a green thumb and an 'exquisitely beautiful soul'. Her uncle, Chris, said the justice system needed 'a fucking revolution', while the crowd wore orange to honour Bell's vibrant hair.
