Overview

• Victoria Police charged a 24-year-old man on September 11 with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury.
• The man was already in custody on unrelated matters and is due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on January 15, 2026.
• The children's mother, 26-year-old Shania Lee, was charged last week with the same offences, granted bail, and is listed for the same January 15, 2026 court date.
• The fire broke out about 9:30pm on September 8, 2024 at a Fergus Court home in Sydenham, where three children were found; two girls later died in hospital and a three-year-old boy survived.
• Investigators have not determined how the fire started or why the children were alone, and court proceedings have referenced home CCTV timing, according to 7NEWS.