Hannah McGuire’s killer found not guilty of raping student two months before murder

The killer of young Ballarat woman Hannah McGuire has been found not guilty of raping a 16-year-old student two months before the murder.

It can now be revealed, after a suppression order was lifted, that Lachlan Young, 24, had been accused of forcing a girl he’d just met to have sex with him in a neighbour’s backyard during a party.

Weeks after the alleged rape, Young attacked and killed his ex-girlfriend, McGuire , 23, burnt her body in a car in a state forest and tried to make her death look like suicide.

On Thursday, a County Court jury of 10 men and two women found Young not guilty of rape following two days of deliberations. It followed a week-long trial, which took place without the jury hearing of Young’s criminal background.

The jury was told that in February 2024, the alleged victim and a group of friends spent the day together, ate at a Ballarat hotel and then attended a home in the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol.

Prosecutor Andrew Buckland told the court that while the group was at the house, an older sibling arrived with his friend, Young, to socialise in the shed. There, the larger group played pool, drank alcohol and sat by the fire.

When some of the younger members of the group went to bed, Young had sat beside the complainant and asked for her Snapchat.

Buckland said Young was then accused of asking if she “wanted to do something” but the girl refused and went to bed.

The pair allegedly continued to exchange messages, including the girl writing to Young: “do you know how old I am”, and “no, I’m 16″.

The girl told the jury that about 3am, she agreed to meet Young in the backyard where she consented to him putting his hands into her shorts.

He then allegedly asked, “Do you want to f---?” The girl told the court she said no, but accused Young of forcing himself onto her.

The next day, the jury heard, the girl told one of her friends she was raped by Young.

The trial heard that weeks later, she messaged Young to say, “how’s ya missus? How would she feel about f---ing an underage and cheating on her?” and later “you’re pathetic Lachie, you f---ed me even though I said no”.

Young blocked the girl, and she later reported the alleged rape to a school wellbeing counsellor who contacted police.