Reuben Lambie, the man convicted of causing the death of a woman in a 2021 Perth hostel fire, appeared in the Nelson District Court on May 16, 2026, for breaching an alcohol condition of his deportation order. Lambie was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2021 for the manslaughter of 30-year-old British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung, who died in a fire at the Shelley's Backpackers hostel in Perth on August 23, 2016. He was deported to New Zealand after serving his sentence.
According to court documents, Lambie was required to abstain from alcohol as part of his deportation conditions. The breach occurred in Nelson, where he was residing after his return to New Zealand. The exact nature of the breach and the date of the incident were not immediately disclosed in court. Lambie was remanded on bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on June 10, 2026.
The case has drawn attention due to the severity of the original crime. Lambie was initially charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental impairment. The fire at the hostel also injured several other people. Lambie's deportation from Australia was finalized in early 2026, following the completion of his prison term.
