Supreme Court may appoint intermediary for teen accused of manslaughter of Reid Ludwig

The Supreme Court of Tasmania may appoint an intermediary for a teenager accused of the manslaughter of Taroona dad Reid Ludwig. LATEST >>

• Plea yet to be entered by teen accused of Reid Ludwig’s manslaughter at Blackmans Bay
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AN INTERMEDIARY may be used in the court case of a teenage boy accused of the manslaughter of Taroona man Reid Ludwig.

Lengthy delays have hampered the case since the boy, who is now 18, allegedly stabbed Mr Ludwig to death outside a Blackmans Bay service station in November 2019.

A doctor previously raised concerns the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, might not be fit to stand trial due to issues surrounding autism spectrum disorder and cognitive function.

The teenager had pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder – but in February that charge was downgraded to manslaughter.

He has not yet entered a plea to the new charge.

On Wednesday, the teen appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania via video link from the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Fatally stabbed man Reid Ludwig

The court heard the doctor believed the boy was unfit to stand trial and that “processes can’t be modified to allow proceedings to a sufficient standard, and that the use of an intermediary is unlikely to assist in that regard either”.

But Justice Helen Wood said she didn’t want to give up on the idea of an intermediary until the option had been fully assessed.

“There is great capacity for accommodating all sorts of difficulties with the justice system,” she said.

Defence barrister Rochelle Mainwaring didn’t oppose the idea, but said “at the end of the day … it may be a difficulty that cannot be overcome”.

Justice Wood adjourned the case until August 30, when the court will hear of any updates on a psychiatric report requested by the Crown and canvass the possibility of an intermediary.

Mr Ludwig was a 41-year-old father of two.

He was returning a trailer to the Coles Express service station on the day in question when he was allegedly attacked in front of his family.

The boy was arrested at the scene while Mr Ludwig died later at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

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