A teenager who was hit with more than 100 charges after allegedly swerving at a group of men in traditional Jewish clothing made several incriminating searches before the alleged attack.

The girl, who cannot be identified, fronted a children’s court on Monday over 109 offences she allegedly committed earlier this year while aged 13.

Her lawyers suggested the now 14-year-old’s defence could rely on doli incapax, which presumes children aged 10 to 13 cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions as they do not understand them to be morally wrong.

One of the girl’s most notable alleged offences involved her driving a stolen car and swerving it toward a group of Jewish men at the intersection of Hotham St and Glen Eira Rd in St Kilda East, inner-southeast Melbourne, on April 28.

The court heard the teenager allegedly searched ‘where do Jews live’ online.

Prosecutors also alleged the girl searched ‘how long is the sentence for running someone over’ within three minutes of allegedly using a stolen car to ram a 45-year-old cyclist off his bike on March 30.

Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich told The Australian the girl’s alleged internet search was a worrying sign antisemitism is being normalised.

‘She did not pull it out of the air. She heard it, she read it, she absorbed it, and somewhere in this country an adult, or a screen, or a chant at a rally, or a slogan on a placard, taught her that Jews are a target you can find by postcode,’ he said.

A teenager who allegedly swerved at a group of Jewish men (above) fronted court on Monday

The teenager’s lawyers will argue she was too young to understand why her alleged crimes were morally wrong (pictured is the car from the alleged attack)

‘In Australia, in 2026, hurting Jews has become a way for a child to feel important. 

‘That is not a story about one child. That is a story about a country that let antisemitism become aspirational. That allowed it to migrate from the fringes to the playground. That permitted a generation of young Australians to grow up believing that Jews are a category, a target, a punchline, a postcode.’

The teenager’s alleged offending ‘reached its current peak’ after averaging 1.45 offences every day for over 74 days.

Detective Senior Constable Jarryd Grey in April told the court she ‘thinks (her alleged crimes) gives her status in her group, which is really concerning’. 

She was on bail at the time of the alleged offences and has spent 34 days in custody.

The magistrate wasn’t surprised to hear the teenager’s lawyers would rely on doli incapax.

‘It’s obvious. You’re dealing with a 13-year-old,’ he told the court.

‘The first thing that goes into your head is doli. 

‘The kids, when they get arrested, scream to police officers, ‘doli, doli’. They’re aware of it.’

The next hearing was scheduled for May 18.