A mother charged over the deaths of two of her children is seeking bail after she skipped her last court hearing and had police looking for her on a warrant.
Shania Lee, 27, allegedly left three children aged under five at home alone about two minutes before fire engulfed her home in Melbourne’s northwest, with prosecutors accusing Lee of hearing them scream on home security video.
Lee’s young girls, aged one and a five, died at the scene in Sydenham in September 2024, while her three-year-old boy survived with injuries.
She has been charged with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one of negligently causing serious injury, and was freed on bail in September last year despite prosecutors opposing her release.
At the time they argued Lee posed a risk to the safety and welfare of the community, saying she had contravened bail and avoided police in the past.
A magistrate granted Lee bail to live with her mother in Moama, NSW, and she was required to report to police three days a week and notify authorities if she changed address.
On 15 January, Lee was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court for a brief hearing. However, she did not show up and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Lee handed herself in to police on Tuesday night and applied for bail in court on Wednesday.
Detective Senior Constable Chris Mitchell urged the magistrate not to release Lee on bail again as she had not been abiding by her conditions and posed a risk to community safety.
He alleged he had “criminal intelligence” that Lee was involved in “high-risk offending” including police pursuits, possessing a firearm, dealing and consuming drugs.
Detective Senior Constable Mitchell said Lee, while on bail, was seen in a vehicle with stolen number plates about 18 hours before it was used to evade police, but he said she would not be charged over that matter.
“My fear is she is potentially engaging in criminal offending,” he told the court.
“It’s an educated opinion of mine that people who drive around on stolen plates aren’t going to the shops to get groceries.”
The detective said Lee had not been residing at her Moama bail address and had been “couch-surfing” across various suburbs in Melbourne’s west.
He said she had been reporting to Echuca police until December 24 and then stopped.
Her lawyer Nick Jane said Lee was “going through an incredibly difficult emotional time” in December as it was the birthday of her youngest child – who died in the fire – on the 21st.
“Almost immediately after the birthday of the youngest child is when she stops complying with bail,” he said.
He said Moama was isolating for Lee and proposed she reside at a new address in Altona if released on bail.
Lee’s ex-partner Matthew McAuliffe was also charged with negligent manslaughter, but the case against him was discontinued as he died while on bail in October.
The bail hearing continued on Wednesday afternoon.
