Boy, 12, is charged with manslaughter over the death of an Aboriginal girl, 11, who was killed when she was thrown from the back of a ute
- A 12-year-old boy has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a girl
- Abbey Forrest, 11, was killed when she was thrown from the back of a ute tray
- The boy, 11 at the time, was allegedly driving dangerously and speeding
- The ute eventually rolled, causing Abbey and another 11-year-old girl to fly out
- Abbey was a star student who had been accepted into three boarding schools
- She was laid to rest on October 7, which would have been her 12th birthday
A 12-year-old boy has been charged with manslaughter over the death of an 11-year-old girl who died when she was thrown from the back of a ute.
The boy, aged 11 at the time, was allegedly driving dangerously and speeding when he rolled the Mazda Bravo ute on mudflats in Wyndham, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, on September 7 last year.
As the vehicle rolled, Abbey Forrest and another 11-year-old girl were thrown from the ute tray. Abbey was killed.
Just weeks before her death, Abbey was named junior person of the year at the East Kimberley Aboriginal Achievement Awards in August.
The 12-year-old driver was charged with manslaughter over Abbey's death on Friday and is due to face court next month.
Abbey Forrest (pictured) died on September 7 when she was thrown from the tray of a ute as it rolled near Wyndham in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A 12-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter over her death on Friday
Her mother, Jessica Forrest (pictured together), laid her daughter to rest on October 7 - what would have been Abbey's birthday - as she could only think of it as the day Abbey would have turned 12
There were five children in the car when it crashed - two 11-year-old girls, two 11-year-old boys and a 13-year-old boy.
Four of them were injured, with Abbey's injuries resulting in death.
Abbey's mother Jessica Forrest laid her daughter to rest on October 7 last year - what would have been her 12th birthday.
'I won't refer to it as anything but her birthday party, I hate the "f" word and everything around it,' she told The Kimberley Echo in the lead up to the day.
On the day extracts from Abbey's diary were included in the funeral booklet.
The entries revealed she wanted to live with her best friend after they dumped their future boyfriends so they could raise a set of males twins together.
The talented schoolgirl, who was named junior person of the year at the East Kimberley Aboriginal Achievement Awards weeks before her death, had just been accepted into three boarding schools
Ms Forrest has said she doesn't want her daughter's legacy to be about the day she died.
Mourners at Abbey's funeral wore black, turquoise and white - her favourite colours.
Her mother recalled their last evening together before her daughter's death during her eulogy.
'I will never forget our last night together...we sat up eating popcorn, telling stories, talking and laughing until past midnight,' she said.
She said in the 12 months before her daughter's death she had matured emotionally and physically, and that the last message she had given her daughter was that she loved her.
Abbey was in the ute with four other children, three of whom were also injured. But only Abbey's injuries resulted in death
After the service her family celebrated her birthday - complete with songs, food and lots of colourful balloons
Ms Forrest said her daughter worked hard after moving to the area in 2015.
The talented schoolgirl, who was named junior person of the year at the East Kimberley Aboriginal Achievement Awards weeks before her death, had just been accepted into three boarding schools.
Abbey was buried surrounded by family, elders, classmates and community - some of whom read letters to her during the service.
After the service her family celebrated her birthday - complete with songs, food and lots of colourful balloons.
Excerpts from Abbey's diary were included in the funeral booklet. The entries revealed was full of love and wanted to live with her best friend after they dumped their future boyfriends so that they could raise a set of males twins together
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