Hannah McGuire's killer found not guilty of raping teenager
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.
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