Australian Girl Who Committed Suicide on the Day Her Sexual Assaulter Was Released on Bail

A Girl Living in the Same Village as the Perpetrator
Sexually Abused for Over 6 Years

According to the Daily Mail on the 22nd (local time), Anne Riese Ugle, an Australian Indigenous woman living in a rural village southwest of Perth, Western Australia, passed away on the 20th at Perth Children's Hospital. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] An 11-year-old girl in Australia has tragically taken her own life on the day the man who sexually assaulted her was released on bail, causing widespread sorrow.

According to the Daily Mail and other sources on the 22nd (local time), Anneriese Ugle, an Australian Indigenous girl living in a rural village southwest of Perth, Western Australia, died on the 20th at Perth Children's Hospital.

Ugle was transferred to the hospital with self-inflicted injuries the day before but did not recover.

The day Ugle harmed herself was the same day a 66-year-old man who sexually assaulted and abused children under 13, including Ugle, over 10 separate occasions was released on bail.

Since this man lived in the same village as Ugle, his release appeared to have been a great shock to her.

Ugle’s mother stated that her daughter had been a victim of sexual crimes from 2014 until this year and desperately wanted to leave the area where the man lived.

The bereaved family released photos of their daughter to the media, expressing that they do not want other victims like her to emerge. They are also appealing to the nation, hoping that child sex offenders will not be released on bail to roam the streets.

About 100 family members and neighbors gathered at the hospital on the 20th to say their farewells to Ugle.

Local police reported that they are supporting Ugle’s family members who visited the hospital by providing counseling services.

※ If you or someone around you is struggling with difficult feelings such as depression, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.