Police briefs Melbourne CBD - January 2026

Australia Day protests

Victoria Police estimated 17,000 people attended Melbourne’s "Invasion Day" rally on January 26 while 2000 turned out for an anti-immigration "March for Australia", which reportedly had links to right wing groups.

Police reported a handful of protest-related incidents, including a person being sprayed in the face with an unknown substance by a man wearing an Australian flag as a cape, a March for Australia participant being assaulted in a pub and a male and female being racially abused by four men, who chased their car and smashed its back window, with one of the four allegedly performing a Nazi salute.

Man charged after stabbing

Police charged a 20-year-old man from Reservoir after a late-night stabbing at the intersection of Flinders St and Katherine Place on Monday, January 19.

Detectives believe the victim, a 20-year-old of no fixed address, may have intervened after he came across the alleged offender yelling at a woman.

The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Reservoir man, who was arrested on a nearby tram after his movements were picked up on CCTV, was charged with mulitple offences.

Teenager in court over fatal nightclub stabbing

A 19-year-old from Mentone appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on January 12 charged with the murder of another 19-year-old from the same suburb.

Police allege an altercation between the two, who knew each other, took place outside Brown Alley nightclub on King St at around 2.40am on Sunday, January 11.

The victim, an aspiring Muay Thai fighter, who was found in King St with multiple stab wounds, died at the scene.

The accused, Alfie Hegg, was arrested shortly after in Docklands. He is charged with one count of murder and will return to court on May 18.

New Year’s Day sexual assault

A Frenchman who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman after helping her from the dance floor of an East Melbourne nightclub has been remanded to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court in April on charges of rape.

Police allege the 22-year-old, who was arrested at Sydney Airport on January 4, sexually assaulted the woman in Corrs Lane in the CBD about 4.30am on New Year’s Day.

After his arrest the man was extradited to Melbourne and charged with rape, sexual assault, recklessly causing injury, common assault and unlicenced driving.

Sushi chef stabbing accused bail revoked

The person accused of stabbing a CBD sushi worker in Little Bourke St in October was briefly bailed to a hospital psychiatric unit in December before the bail was revoked a few days later.

Lauren Darul, 33, had been receiving compulsory treatment at high-security mental health hospital Thomas Embling for issues including schizophrenia and cognitive impairment but was bailed by the Supreme Court to be admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s psychiatric unit when a place became available.

However, two days later, on December 19, the bail was revoked on the grounds of information in a new medical report presented by the prosecutor.

Darul, who is transitioning gender, is facing dozens of charges over the stabbing of sushi chef Wan Lai in Little Bourke St on October 2, which was captured on CCTV camera. •