Police in Victoria have launched a search for a mother charged in connection with a devastating house fire that claimed the lives of her two young children, after she failed to appear in court and stopped reporting to authorities.
Warrant Issued After Court No-Show
A magistrate issued an arrest warrant for 27-year-old Shania Lee on Thursday morning after she did not attend a scheduled hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court. This development comes roughly four months after she was initially released on bail.
Lee faces serious charges including two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury. These charges stem from a tragic house fire in the Melbourne suburb of Sydenham in September 2024.
The Tragic Details of the Fire
Prosecutors have previously told the court that the fatal blaze erupted shortly after Lee left her three children, all under the age of five, home alone. A fire alarm sounded minutes after her departure.
The fire completely engulfed the property, resulting in the deaths of a one-year-old girl and a five-year-old girl. Lee's three-year-old son survived the incident but sustained injuries.
Despite objections from prosecutors who argued she posed a risk to community safety and had a history of contravening bail and avoiding police, Lee was granted bail in September last year.
Systematic Breach of Bail Conditions
The court heard that Lee had not been complying with several of her bail conditions. A key condition required her to report to police in Echuca three times a week, but she had not made contact since December 22.
Lee had been bailed to an address in Moama, New South Wales, and was required to notify police of any change of address. Prosecutors applied for the warrant on Thursday, revealing there were several new charges to be filed against Lee relating to these breaches.
Her defence lawyer, Nisha Patel, informed the court she had spoken to her client last week about the hearing but had been unable to reach her since. Ms Patel stated that Lee had offered to surrender herself this week but claimed she did not receive a response from authorities before the prosecution moved to revoke her bail.
Magistrate Kieran Gilligan was unmoved by this claim, stating, 'If she was wanting to hand herself in, she could have handed herself into any police station.' He emphasised that 'given the serious nature of the charges' issuing a warrant was necessary.
Following the warrant's issuance, Lee's bail was forfeited and the matter was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.
Co-Accused Case Discontinued
In a related development, the case against Lee's former partner and co-accused, Matthew McAuliffe, has been discontinued. McAuliffe was also charged with negligent manslaughter in September last year but died while on bail in November.
