A judge in Melbourne has criticised lawyers representing a 16-year-old boy accused of murder for filing court documents that contained fabricated case citations and inaccurate quotes from a parliamentary speech, after they used artificial intelligence without proper verification.
Justice James Elliott of the Supreme Court of Victoria said it was unacceptable to use AI unless its output was independently and thoroughly checked. The documents were filed by senior barrister Rishi Nathwani KC and junior barrister Amelia Beech, who later apologised and re-filed corrected submissions.
The boy was found not guilty by way of mental impairment for the murder of a 41-year-old woman in Abbotsford in April 2023. Prosecution and defence agreed he was suffering from schizophrenic delusions at the time. He will remain under supervision at a youth justice centre.
Justice Elliott noted that the misleading information persisted even in revised documents, which referred to non-existent legislation. He emphasised that the court's ability to rely on submissions is fundamental to justice, and warned against using AI without careful oversight.
