Amber Lee Hughes tells court she wanted to plead guilty to murder from the start of case

Self-confessed child killer Amber Lee Hughes maintained in the High Court on Wednesday that she had intended to plead guilty to murder from the start of the case.

The 26-year-old, who was convicted of the rape and murder of four-year-old Nada Jane Challita, is currently submitting evidence as part of her sentence mitigation proceedings.

For over two years, Hughes pleaded not guilty to all counts but made a turnaround last year, confessing to how she killed Challita. 

It has been three years since the child was raped and drowned in a Glenvista apartment in 2023.

ALSO READ: Convicted child killer Hughes to take the stand Tuesday for sentencing proceedings

In Wednesday's proceedings, Hughes told the court that her previous defence team had advised her against pleading guilty.

"My previous legal representative informed me that she would communicate with the DPP regarding that plea. After that, she told me that I would have to plead to all three charges. At that stage, there were three charges: rape, sexual assault and murder. I would have to plead to all three or I would not be allowed to plead guilty to just murder. Michelle also felt that my case was strong enough to proceed to trial."