'My 10-year-old daughter was killed by a teen. I want everyone to know her story.'

10-year-old Bridgette 'Biddy' Porter wanted to be a journalist when she grew up. While other kids her age might have had posters of popstars or Disney channel prodigies, Biddy had pictures of famous Australian journalists. 

"She was really an incredible writer," her mum Rebekah tells Mamamia, "she was funny, and caring, and loved playing tricks on her family. The youngest of three and our only girl, she was probably a bit spoiled, she slept in our bed until she was nine years old."

Image: Supplied.

It's an indulgence Biddy's parents are no doubt grateful to have granted her now, as on July 8, 2020, their little girl was killed in rural NSW by a teen known to her. 

"I was on my way to work, and I'd stopped at the post office," Rebekah recalls, "and I got a phone call from my ex-husband's father, just saying 'what's happened to Bridgette, what's happened to Bridgette?' I thought he must have meant that she hadn't visited him in a while, because we were going through divorce, but something in his voice made me worry. I then got a phone call from my ex-husband Dominic, telling me "Bridgette's dead. It all gets a bit fuzzy after that."

For the following six weeks, Rebekah went into nervous shock. 

"It's quite amazing what your brain does to protect you in traumatic situations," she says.

"I couldn't feed myself, couldn't dress myself — it was like my body just shut down so it wouldn't have to deal with the reality of the situation."

And that situation was as nightmarish as it gets.

Bridgette's injuries were so heinous that the Supreme Court ruled that the details of her killing would be suppressed for the next 20 years. That her killer was also a child — and one known to Bridgette — was a further, unimaginable horror. 

While Bridgette's killer was arrested just a few hours after her death, in 2021 they were found guilty of murder but not criminally responsible.

Biddy's killer is currently being treated in a mental health facility, but for legal reasons cannot be identified.

Upon finding out that the killer had been allowed out into the community on day release from the facility and could be released permanently into the community at any point in time, Rebekah says she realised that because of this, Biddy's side of the story was also being suppressed.

Image: Supplied.

In NSW, the law currently ensures that the name of a child murder victim cannot be published or broadcast without the consent of their senior next of kin. Rebekah says that while she understands the need to protect the identity of children and those with mental health issues, this rule also feels as though it erases the story of the true victim.

"It was only after I found out that the killer was getting day release, that everything crystallised for me," says Rebekah.

"I was so angry. I had a bit of clarity about the whole situation, where I thought, hang on a minute. My daughter's been killed. Her name's been suppressed. Her injuries have been suppressed. This person is out here getting day release, and this is not what was promised to me. This is not the narrative that I was fed of how things would play out." 

Alongside Advocacy Australia, the Porters have launched the #Justice4BiddyPorter campaign — which is calling on the NSW Government to initiate Parliamentary Inquiries into the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT), reform Victims' Support Services, and to conduct a coronial inquest into Bridgette Porter's death to ensure justice, transparency, accountability, and fairness for victims of serious crimes.

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"With the Mental Health Review Tribunal, there is a hearing every six months, which means that every six months, families of victims are re-traumatised," says Advocacy Australia's Alice Collins. 

Rebekah believes the way the case was handled requires further investigation, and that more support needs to be in place for victims of crime in this country. 

"I believe there were many signs before the tragedy that the person who killed Biddy was deeply disturbed," says Rebekah. 

"They were collecting knives, naming them, writing diary entries that all spelled out this lust and desire to kill, how great it was going to feel to kill someone, how big the 'kill count' was going to be."

"In the aftermath of Biddy's death, her father and I were able to access a total of $7,500 worth of funding for support services that, realistically, weren't available in our regional area," says Rebekah.

Image: Supplied.

"I'm unable to go back to work due to PTSD — I have tried a number of times, but I ended up having a breakdown.

"If Biddy had survived the attack, we would have been entitled to an additional $20,000 for loss of income, but there seems to be this assumption that after a month or two, we should simply be able to cope and get on with our lives. I will carry this sorrow in my heart for my little girl for the rest of my life."

Biddy's mum recalls a time when her daughter was only in kindergarten, and noticed an older kid being bullied. Without hesitating, the tiny Biddy got right in between the bully and their target and told them to back off.

"She was always trying to be a voice for those who couldn't use theirs," says Rebekah proudly.

"I feel like now, we need to be a voice for Biddy, and in turn, her story can help countless others who have been failed by the system."

The #Justice4BiddyPorter petition, sponsored by NSW Legislative Assembly member for Orange, Phillip Donato MP, was launched in July, with the aim to get enough signatures to be presented in Parliament. 

The timing of the campaign lined up with the fourth anniversary of Biddy's death, and it quickly amounted 40,000 signatures. At 20,000 it triggered the review in parliament.

This review was held on October 17, where Donato gave a rousing speech, telling 70 supporters of the campaign, including members of parliament, why Biddy's mother wants her name published and a significant review into the systems that have failed their family.

In response to the overwhelming support, Biddy's mum Rebekah Porter said, "Biddy's campaign holds immense significance for me because it's given Biddy back her name, her precious face, her voice and her identity which was erased four years ago to protect her killer.

She told Mamamia about their parliamentary presentation, "To know we have been heard and are being listened to at this level is huge for us. Having the support of the entire house is very promising. There is still much work to be done but this was a fantastic first step and result and I know Biddy would be so proud of us. "

She re-iterates the goals they hope to reach with this momentum.

"We want an inquiry into the DPP's handing of Biddy's case, the MHRT and Victims services.

"We want to achieve real reform to the processes of the MHRT for family victims and real reform to Victim Services for victims of serious crime that adequately supports our circumstances," she added. "We also want a coronial inquest to explore the factors that lead to Biddy's death so we can prevent deaths of this kind in the future. "

Clare Collins, Chair of Advocacy Australia, which is assisting the Porters in their campaign, said, "It was incredible to sit in the Gallery of NSW Parliament and hear Philip Donato MP thunder away about the issues, significant issues, we aim to address.

"Now we hope the Attorney General will respond appropriately to the many voices (40,000 in total) demanding justice for Biddy and all victims of serious crimes by initiating inquiries… and importantly, an inquest into Biddy's tragic death.

"With such a significant issue supported by so many across NSW (21,550) and thousands from around Australia and the world, if the Government fails to initiate these essential reviews when called upon by the parents of a brutally murdered child, then one must ask what will it take to deliver justice and essential change to help all the victims of serious crimes.

"The government must agree that surely this must be enough!"

This story was originally published on September 23, 2024 and has been updated with new information since.

PETITION LINKS:

For more information: www.justice4biddyporter.com

Feature Image: Supplied.