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The mother of a child killer did not believe in mental illness and consulted a naturopathic herbalist about concerns for her teenage daughter, an inquest has been told.<\/p>\n
Two weeks after the 14-year-old confessed to her mother she thought about killing people \u201call the time\u201d, the girl killed 10-year-old Biddy Porter at a property in rural NSW.<\/p>\n
![\"Biddy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5f1c08de4adb2a1deb2c0f3bd2bb8b8356951229.jpeg\")
Biddy Porter, 10, was killed at a property in rural NSW.PR IMAGE<\/p>\n
Biddy, remembered as a vibrant, clever and creative child, died of multiple injuries while staying at the property in the school holidays on July 8, 2020.<\/p>\n
The NSW Supreme Court found Biddy\u2019s killer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was not criminally responsible due to mental illness in 2021.<\/p>\n
She has been in custody since her arrest and is overseen by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.<\/p>\n
Two psychiatrists found the teenager had schizophrenia and was in acute psychosis at the time of the killing.<\/p>\n
The teenager likely had delusions and a \u201closs of contact with reality\u201d, counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC told the inquest at Lidcombe Coroners Court.<\/p>\n
![\"Biddy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/06ab60d6981fdee07e1f5f6f1a08b8738216c551.jpeg\")
Biddy has been remembered as a vibrant, clever and creative child.PR IMAGE<\/p>\n
Dr Dwyer also outlined the teenager\u2019s worsening mental health before the killing and her \u201cdisturbing\u201d descent into psychosis, including acts of self-harm, an interest in knives and a sense of not feeling real.<\/p>\n
After the teenager slaughtered six chickens on the family property in June 2019, her parents removed her bedroom door and snapped a video game in half.<\/p>\n
When asked why she did not seek mental health support for her daughter instead, the teenager\u2019s mother said it did not occur to her.<\/p>\n
![\"Biddy\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2e4616ec9724e73d8cb3883f8f59aa97afdfcc291a8ce90a2b4c51781e8f05fb.jpeg\")
Biddy\u2019s mother Rebekah Keukenmeester. The family was granted an inquest after directly appealing to the state coroner.Advocacy Australia<\/p>\n
\u201c(The chickens) were to be culled so that was what was happening to them anyway,\u201d the mother told the inquest on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental health was never on my radar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never believed in mental health, I didn\u2019t understand mental health so it didn\u2019t come up to me as something I needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother insisted she was only upset about the teenager killing the chickens because she did not have permission to slaughter the hens, which had stopped laying eggs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand why that was such a big red flag,\u201d the woman told the inquest.<\/p>\n
The inquest was earlier told the mother asked a naturopathic herbalist about her daughter\u2019s behaviour and the practitioner told her to call a GP.<\/p>\n
The mother made an appointment with a doctor after the girl revealed she had intrusive thoughts about killing people, including her parents and sibling.<\/p>\n
The doctor wrote a referral for a psychiatrist in Sydney, which the mother found in her email spam folder only after the first day of the inquest.<\/p>\n
Exactly a week after the GP appointment, the teenager killed Biddy while the two were left alone in the farm house.<\/p>\n
The inquest, which is examining possible systemic failings in the lead-up to Biddy\u2019s killing and any early warning signs, continues before NSW State Coroner Teresa O\u2019Sullivan.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.<\/p>\n
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