Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › World News › Breaking: Ballarat killer Lachlan Young found not guilty...
Breaking News

Breaking: Ballarat killer Lachlan Young found not guilty of raping teenager

Breaking: Ballarat killer Lachlan Young found not guilty of raping teenager
ABC Australia Thursday 20 August 2026, 05:43 UTC By Kristian Silva 1 min read
Key Points

Ballarat killer Lachlan Young found not guilty of raping teenager By court reporter Kristian SIlva Posted Ballarat killer Lachlan Young has been cleared of raping a teenager months before he murdered his girlfriend, Hannah McGuire. On Thursday, a County Court jury found Young, 24, not guilty of forcing a 16-year-old to have sexual intercourse while the pair were at his neighbour's Sebastopol property on February 5, 2024.

Ballarat killer Lachlan Young found not guilty of raping teenager By court reporter Kristian SIlva Posted Ballarat killer Lachlan Young has been cleared of raping a teenager months before he murdered his girlfriend, Hannah McGuire. On Thursday, a County Court jury found Young, 24, not guilty of forcing a 16-year-old to have sexual intercourse while the pair were at his neighbour's Sebastopol property on February 5, 2024. About two months later, Young murdered Ms McGuire in her home. He went on to face trial, in one of the most high-profile cases Ballarat has seen in recent years. Young pleaded not guilty but changed his plea mid-trial, admitting to a horror campaign of domestic violence that ended with Ms McGuire being killed and her body being torched inside a vehicle. Loading
Ballarat (ORG) Lachlan Young (PERSON) Kristian SIlva (PERSON) Hannah McGuire (PERSON) County Court (ORG) Young (PERSON) Sebastopol (LOCATION) Ms McGuire (PERSON)
Originally published by ABC Australia Read original →

Related Stories

Proposed gun reforms 'betrayal of Tasmanians', critics say

Tasmania's proposed gun reforms in wake of Bondi attacks slammed by critics In short: Tasmania's government has tabled proposed reforms to its gun laws in parliament, which it says will increase community safety. The reforms reclassify some firearms to a more restrictive licence and introduce an Australian citizenship requirement for owners, but this will not apply to guns that people already own or to non-citizens who currently own legal guns. Parliament is set to debate the bill in the...

ABC Australia 7m ago

Historic WWII tugboat rises from depths as Danube River dries up

Historic WWII tugboat rises from depths as Danube River dries up Amid prolonged drought, the river is giving up its ghosts - Bookmark As prolonged extreme heat dries up rivers across Europe, the remains of a steam tugboat from the early 1900s have become the latest historic artefact to emerge. The corroded hull, a vessel once known as the Slovenian, re-emerged earlier this month from the Sava River near Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of Belgrade. Although parts...

The Independent World 7m ago

Max Verstappen signs to stay with Red Bull F1

In short: Four-time World Champion Max Verstappen will stay in Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing until 2030. Verstappen said he always hoped to stay with the team that he first joined as a junior in 2014. Verstappen will race in his home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on Sunday, with ABC Sport providing a live blog of the race.

ABC Australia 8m ago

Kyiv residents rescued as Russian strikes damage buildings across the city

At least 33 people were wounded, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service, while the air-raid alert remained in force into the early hours. The strikes hit 12 locations in the Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution. Fires broke out at warehouses, vehicles and other non-residential sites, adding to the pressure on emergency crews working across the city.

Euronews 9m ago