Gut-wrenching outburst from slain 10-year-old girl’s father as he reveals his living nightmare – while $5million is spent on her psychotic killer
The father of Bridgette "Biddy" Porter, a 10-year-old girl stabbed to death in 2020 by a 14-year-old girl suffering a psychotic episode, has publicly criticised the government over what he says is a vast disparity in support given to his daughter's killer compared with his own family. Dominic Porter said he has been left financially and emotionally devastated over six years of legal proceedings, losing his banking career, his home and his assets while paying privately for lawyers, healthcare and mental health treatment, even as the offender, known as XR, receives NDIS funding, a disability pension, accommodation and ongoing medical care at taxpayer expense.
XR, now 20, was found not guilty of murder by reason of mental illness after an undiagnosed schizophrenia diagnosis, and now lives permanently in a mental health facility on medication. Mr Porter said his private health premiums alone have reached $35,000 a year following hospital visits, a mental health diagnosis and suicide attempts, and that without insurance his medical costs would have exceeded $1 million. He also cited Productivity Commission data showing it costs around $2,573 a day, or roughly $939,000 a year, to detain a young offender, arguing this shows the state can find substantial resources when it chooses to. Biddy's parents, who separated after her death, both gave evidence at a coronial inquest in Sydney in June examining whether systemic failures contributed to the tragedy.
- Father of murdered girl Biddy Porter slams state support for her killer
- Killer, now 20, receives NDIS funding, pension and lifelong care
- Father says he was left homeless funding his own legal and medical costs
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Six years after 10-year-old Bridgette "Biddy" Porter was fatally stabbed by a 14-year-old girl during a psychotic episode in 2020, the case remains before the courts and a coronial inquest. The attacker, referred to as XR, was found not guilty of murder due to mental illness after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and now lives in a secure mental health facility rather than prison.
Biddy's father, Dominic Porter, has spoken publicly about the toll the case has taken on his family, including financial losses and the breakdown of his marriage to Biddy's mother. He contrasts the government-funded support and care available to XR with the costs his family has borne privately for legal representation and medical treatment.
A coronial inquest held in Sydney in June this year examined whether any systemic failures, such as missed warning signs about XR's mental state, contributed to Biddy's death. The case has drawn attention to broader questions about how the justice and mental health systems respond when a child is killed by another child found not criminally responsible due to mental illness.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The mental illness that prompted XR's actions was undiagnosed and untreated—a systemic failure that preceded the tragedy. A functioning society has a fundamental obligation to provide appropriate care for all citizens, particularly those with severe mental illnesses, regardless of crimes committed during psychotic episodes when they lack rational agency. Diverting mental health resources toward victim compensation, whilst important, creates a false choice; investing in mental health infrastructure and rehabilitation actually serves societal interests by preventing future harm and honouring principles of humane treatment that protect all vulnerable people.
The case against
A 10-year-old girl was killed by someone whose severe illness went undetected, yet her grieving father has lost his career, home and assets paying privately for his family's recovery whilst substantial taxpayer resources flow to the person who caused this tragedy. Whilst mental health care matters, so too does acknowledging duty to innocent victims whose lives are destroyed through no fault of their own; if the state can commit nearly £1 million annually to offender detention, it can prioritise victim and family support services that remain chronically underfunded across most jurisdictions.