As a fire erupted at the family home, a mum allegedly left three of her children ‘screaming’ and ‘fighting for their lives’ as she drove away with her partner and watched on CCTV
A mum-of-four allegedly listened to the screams of her children as she watched the family’s house burn down on CCTV and left them to die, a court heard.
Shania Lee, 25, is facing two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury after she allegedly drove away from the house fire, where three of her children, Izabel, 5, Kalais, 3, and Lyvia, 2, were left inside.
On September 8 last year, firefighters pulled the unconscious children from the rear of the property after an alarm was raised by neighbours. The family is said to have only moved into the house a week prior.
According to neighbours, the children had been trapped inside the property, while ablaze, for around an hour. One recalled to Mail Online, “When I first came out, a few of us heard screaming”, another noted that the children were “fighting for their lives”.
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After they were individually rescued from the burning building, the three children were rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital for treatment. Tragically, Izabel and Lyvia died in the hospital, while Kalais survived after being put in an induced coma.
The mother, who was bailed from Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this week, has a fourth child, who wasn’t at home at the time of the incident in Sydenham, Melbourne.
During a court hearing and opposing bail, Detective Senior Constable Christopher Mitchell was heard saying that he believed Lee knew the house was on fire when she drove away. The court heard how Lee’s home, which was a rental, erupted into flames at around 9.18pm and just over two minutes later, Lee and her partner Matthew McAuliffe, 23, were seen departing the property alone.
The children had been put to bed between 8.30 and 9pm, the court heard. Afterwards, McAuliffe, who is a smoker, reportedly went to the bedroom and left again, shutting the door behind him.
Police have alleged that the couple left the children alone in the house while they went out to “steal a car door” for Lee’s Jeep. They reportedly returned to the property 20 to 30 minutes later and saw emergency services at their home. The police officer said in court that “Lee did not call 000 to assist her own children.”
Investigations into the cause of the fire suspect that it had started in the couple’s bedroom before they left the house. “Police believe that the fire was going when they left,” Senior Constable Mitchell told the court.
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It has also been alleged by detectives that Lee was heard talking about the suspected crime with McAuliffe on the phone while he was serving a prison sentence in February. Constable Mitchell said: “McAuliffe accuses Lee of watching the cameras on the night of the incident, hearing screaming.
“Lee admits that she watched the cameras at the last minute and informed her mother… Investigators believe that the referred screaming is in relation to the children during the fire.” In addition, it has been suggested by investigators that Lee and McAuliffe had discussed viewing the footage.
The court heard how the mum refused to make a statement at the time and had been uncooperative with police. Constable Mitchell also noted in court that they “hold contemporary intelligence” that Lee is “currently consuming drugs such as codeine and MDMA”.
However, lawyer Sam Norton defended his client, noting that police had no way of knowing if Lee knew the fire had started when she left the house. He said: “And if we put it in these terms, a person in her circumstances would not have known that it was likely that that house was going to burn down.”
While a detective couldn’t disagree with the comment, they added, “We believe that she knew”.
It’s been reported that Lee, who has been granted bail, has prior convictions for failing to appear in court while on bail and committing indictable offences on bail. Police also raised concerns about her suspected drug use, fears of having access to an illegal firearm, and outstanding charges related to an alleged aggravated burglary, theft, and obtaining property by deception.
She is due to appear in court next year.