Teen admits to killing Diane Miller outside Waterford Plaza, Perth

A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to killing a pregnant mum after throwing a block of concrete through her car window.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, entered his guilty plea at Perth Children’s Court on Wednesday for killing Diane Miller in a shopping centre car park on November 29 last year.

Police officers said the teenager threw a lump of concrete through an open car window outside Waterford Plaza in the Perth suburb of Karawara, which struck Ms Miller in the head.

The boy, who was reportedly part of a gang called ‘the Bentley Boys’, admitted to the manslaughter of Ms Miller, who was five months pregnant at the time of her death.

She was on life support in hospital for three days before she, and her unborn baby, died from her injuries.

Her killer was charged with grievous bodily harm after the incident, which was upgraded to murder when Ms Miller died.

Under Western Australian law, the teenager could not be charged over the unborn baby’s death. 

During a court appearance on Wednesday, the boy pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and the murder charge was discontinued. 

He will return to court to be sentenced over two days beginning on April 27.

Ms Miller was at Waterford Plaza in the Perth suburb of Karawara with her partner Phillip Edmonds, their baby boy Lloyde and their two young nieces when the family’s life was changed forever. 

They had gone to the shopping centre for dinner after swimming at a local pool. 

Mr Edmonds was trying to protect his family from about a dozen teenagers who were involved in a fight in the carpark and were blocking his car from leaving. 

Ms Miller was on life support before dying in hospital

The 17-year-old-old threw a lump of concrete through the open passenger’s side window, where Ms Miller was sitting.

Mr Edmonds had previously called for the teenager to be charged with two crimes because his unborn baby was too young to be saved.

‘Because the baby was inside her belly too, you know,’ he told The West Australian. 

The unborn child was going to be called Mel if it was a girl.

The family had just moved into a new home and was preparing for the birth of the baby when Ms Miller was killed.

‘We were making it a real home and setting it up for the baby,’ Mr Edmonds said.