A woman is accused in court documents of going on a two-year rampage across Melbourne – including an alleged attack on a young boy – before allegedly committing a crime that shocked Australia.
A bail hearing for Lauren Darul, 32, heard how an alleged mix of drugs, alcohol and homelessness took a grip on her life.
Darul has been charged over the shocking attack on sushi chef Wan Lai – a 36-year-old woman who was walking to work when she was allegedly stabbed in the chest.
Police say Darul is the stabber and allege graphic CCTV footage will prove their case.
Holding a soccer ball under one arm, Darul allegedly stabbed Ms Lai for no good reason.
Police allege it was unprovoked and random. When she was arrested, she allegedly declared she was ‘the King of Australia’.
The alleged incident horrified Melburnians, which only deepened when it was revealed the city’s Lord Mayor Nick Reece knew about the alleged stabbing ten days before it became public, but said nothing.
Now disturbing new allegations have been revealed about Darul’s past in the court documents.
Lauren Darul (allegedly left) is accused of stabbing sushi chef Wan Lai
Sushi chef Wan Lai is comforted after allegedly being stabbed in the chest
Sushi chef Wan Lai was allegedly stabbed in the chest
For now, Darul will remain locked behind bars.
She had hoped to walk free from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre to spend Christmas back on the streets, probably living rough.
Management from a homeless shelter, funded by the state government and the City of Melbourne, told the court at her bail hearing they did not want Darul back.
And according to the court documents, police allege Darul had been out of control for a very long time.
A swag of court documents released at her bail hearing this week reveals police fears about the allegedly drug-addled accused and her history of convictions for a wide range of crimes, including violence.
In May 2023 she was jailed and placed on an 18-month community corrections order – an order judges argue is the equivalent to jail time and in the community’s ‘best interests’.
She was placed on the sex offender register for eight years at the same hearing.
Darul’s recorded history of violence is extensive.
Lauren Darul’s decline is obvious over the years as she allegedly became ravaged by drugs, according to court documents
But police allege Darul has also made the lives of complete strangers a misery.
She was allegedly caught wandering Melbourne’s CBD with a fake handgun shoved down the front of her pants in January last year.
On her arrest, Darul allegedly told police she was taking it to a friend’s place for ‘sexual purposes’.
She now faces 57 charges in 19 separate cases, including allegedly spitting in a 10-year-old boy’s face near SeaLife Aquarium, smashing car windows with pallets and gym weights, and repeatedly stealing bottles of booze.
The allegations involving the little boy are almost as unnerving as the alleged CBD stabbing.
Police allege the child was walking with his family on King Street when Darul randomly spat in his face.
‘A fairly huge amount of saliva landed on the victim’s face, entering eyes and mouth,’ police told the court.
Darul was allegedly seen yelling, swearing and behaving erratically as the boy’s father yelled at her to stop.
Darul before drugs and alcohol allegedly consumed her life, according to court documents
An imitation gun Darul was allegedly found with
The knife police allege Darul used to stab Wan Lai
She was arrested about 20 minutes later.
Asked why she allegedly spat in the boy’s face, according to the court documents, she allegedly told the officers: ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember. I’m truly sorry.’
It was the same month Darul was allegedly spotted inside a popular South Melbourne pizza shop with a gun tucked into her pants, the court was told.
Worried members of the public called police, with one person snapping photos of her at Flinders Street Station with the gun allegedly poking out of her pants.
Court documents reveal police claim Darul had been wanted over alleged offences dating back to 2022 when she was accused of stealing wine from a shop in Melbourne’s west.
The court heard Darul had a history of evading responsibility and disregarding court orders, but was still granted bail multiple times.
The court heard Darul had previously been subjected to 16 arrest warrants for failing to answer bail or appear on bail.
She also had nine prior guilty findings of failing to appear on bail since 2022 and eight findings of guilt for committing an indictable offence while on bail.
Darul enters a convenience store. Police allege she was carrying an imitation gun
An image captured by a commuter who alleged Darul had a gun tucked into her pants in a picture released by the court after her bail hearing this week
Court documents allege Darul went on an hour-long rampage in South Melbourne in October 2022, smashed a scooter in November 2023 and threw a shipping pallet through the window of a Carpet Court shop the following month.
After her alleged antics in January last year, Darul is accused of keying cars, shop thefts, robbing a postman, smashing up another shop and stealing more booze.
Darul’s lawyer requested her client be released on a voluntary treatment order at Royal Melbourne Hospital, insisting a range of support services were prepared to assist her.
But Magistrate Tim Bourke sided with police and Darul’s alleged stabbing victim, who had pleaded for her to remain behind bars.
‘Taking all of the preceding matters into account, I am not satisfied that any bail conditions can ameliorate the risks,’ he said.
Darul was remanded in custody and will face court again in January.
Any further bail attempts will be heard in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
