Overview
- Coroner Ingrid Giles delivered findings on the 2020 stabbing of Solomone Taufe'ulungaki, citing 245 knife-related homicides from January 2014 to September 2025, including 18 child victims and 29 cases involving youth offenders.
- In gang-related child homicides, 11 victims were identified and nine were from migrant communities, highlighting disproportionate harm to marginalized groups.
- Police told the coroner that Melbourne’s north-west accounts for about 44% of youth gang offending and more than half of violent youth gang offences, with close to 350 young gang members active in mid-2023.
- Giles sent recommendations to Premier Jacinta Allan after seeking input from Victoria Police, Youth Justice and Westjustice, emphasizing early intervention, inclusion and reintegration while noting youth detention costs of $7,775 per day.
- The release comes weeks after separate alleged stabbings of two children in 2025 as Victoria Police develops a statewide knife-crime plan, appoints a dedicated commander and reports seizing nearly 13,000 edged weapons over the past year.