Perth teen accused of murdering his mum could face Supreme Court jury

A teenage boy who allegedly killed his mother and seriously injured his 12-year-old sister could elect for a Supreme Court trial before a jury.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, was arrested after police were called to a Bentley address early on July 21, where they found a 35-year-old woman dead, having allegedly been stabbed by her son.

The boy’s sister was also allegedly stabbed inside the family home before escaping to nearby Albany Highway, where bystanders provided first aid. She was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been released.

The boy has since faced two court appearances that he struggled to attend.

On Friday, he appeared via video link in Perth Children’s Court, where his lawyer Simon Freitag said his “symptoms – if I can put it that way” had “greatly improved”.

“The first appearance, he was not in a great condition,” Freitag said.

The court had previously been told the boy was seeing a psychiatrist weekly while he was in custody at Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

He was due to face court in person on Friday, but told prison staff he did not want to.

Children’s Court president Hylton Quail explained to the boy that he needed to attend the court in person at his next hearing, before which his lawyer would meet with him to discuss whether he preferred a trial in the Supreme Court before a jury – or at the Children’s Court before Quail.

Quail also insisted the teen have his rights clearly explained to him before proceeding any further with his matter.

He faces one count of murder and one of attempted murder, as well as breaches of bail.

“You can have a trial in the Supreme Court before a jury if you want, or you can have a trial in the children’s court before me,” Quail said.

“That probably doesn’t mean anything to you now, but Simon will explain to you what that means when he comes out to see you.”

The boy acknowledged that he understood.

He will be back in court on October 5.

A source close to the family previously told WAtoday the boy’s family had reached out to try and get support for him “on a number of occasions” before the alleged stabbing.

“His family loved him. It’s a sad tragedy,” the source said.