Theft charges against rollercoaster crash victim Shylah Rodden sensationally dropped

Victoria Police have dropped robbery charges against tragic roller coaster victim Shylah Rodden without explanation, as it was revealed that cops were after her over an allegedly stolen phone.

Shylah remains bedridden at Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she has been recovering since a roller coaster crashed into her at the city’s Royal Show on September 24.

On Wednesday, a police prosecutor did not explain why the charges were dropped.

It can now be revealed that police alleged Shylah stole a $1000 Samsung S20 mobile phone on August 5, just over a year before she was hit by a roller coaster while retrieving a phone.

Detectives had also accused her of committing that crime while she was already on bail.

Shylah was not required to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court for the brief hearing.

Nor were his lawyers, who had asked magistrate Fran Medina to deny media access to police charge sheets outlining the accusations against his client.

Ms. Medina rejected the request and ruled that the now-withdrawn charge sheets be made public.

While no formal explanation has been offered as to why the charges against Shylah were dropped, Daily Mail Australia understands that she may have been misidentified as the thief.

A police spokeswoman declined to comment on Shylah’s case when questioned by Daily Mail Australia earlier this week, but suggested the matter could be reviewed.

“All the circumstances are taken into account for each individual matter in determining whether prosecution will proceed,” it said Monday.

“We will not provide comment on this particular matter as it is before the court.”

The backflip is expected to be a relief to Shylah’s devastated family, who continue to hold a bedside vigil that began in September.

Hospital staff told Daily Mail Australia just days before Christmas that Shylah remained in stable condition after coming out of a medically induced coma in November.

It was revealed last year that Shylah had endured a tumultuous life, which had seen her previously convicted on matters of dishonesty.

Shylah faces years of rehabilitation after suffering a massive brain injury when she was thrown thirty feet into the air by fast travel while trying to retrieve a dropped phone.

Shylah’s father, Alan Rodden, told Daily Mail Australia shortly after the incident that his daughter had sustained life-changing injuries.

‘I can’t talk to my daughter. She is going to be in a coma for quite some time,” she said.

The wounds are horrible. Horrific. She has brain damage. It is the pelvis, the arms, the legs, the back, the neck; there is almost nothing that is not broken. I just can’t understand how the hell so much damage has been done.

Even the doctors have said that they haven’t seen anything as bad as this in a long time.

While Shylah’s condition is classified as stable, close friends have told Daily Mail Australia that she remains trapped in her body, unable to communicate with anyone.

Her supportive family remains committed to caring for her when she is finally released from the hospital.

The Rodden family endured a nightmarish end in 2022 and faces more heartbreak just days into the new year.

Trolls mercilessly added to the family’s grief, and people continued to criticize Shylah’s actions after every single article about her was published.

So vile has the abuse been, that a video of Shylah being hit by the roller coaster went viral after being posted on TikTok accompanied by ridiculous music.

A GoFundMe The fundraiser set up to help with Shylah’s recovery has now raised over $26,000, with one kind individual donating over $2000 after Daily Mail Australia revealed Shylah’s charge debacle on Monday.

Money is just a drop in the ocean of what it will take to keep Shylah comfortable for the rest of her life.

A friend in close contact with Shylah and her family told Daily Mail Australia that the money raised from the fundraiser would go towards helping Shylah on the long road to recovery.

“People have the impression that this money is only for their family. But people need to know that this money is for Shylah’s recovery,” the friend said.

“This money will go towards their therapy, their rehabilitation, the things they need to change around the house for shower and bathroom needs.”

The day the roller coaster hit her, Shylah was working at a friend’s booth at the Melbourne Royal Show.

The couple had been on a break when they decided to go for a few walks to kill time.

Shylah is understood to have dropped her phone while on the roller coaster and police believe she walked on the tracks of the high-speed ride to retrieve the device.

Government sources told Daily Mail Australia last year that whatever prompted Shylah to jump onto the tracks was not a safety watchdog concern.

WorkSafe is understood to be investigating what the ride operators were doing when Shylah headed onto the tracks.

“Their toxicity levels are not relevant to the investigation into whether the duty bearer was doing everything reasonably possible to provide a safe and healthy workplace,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.

A WorkSafe inspection concluded that The Rebel Coaster was ‘safe’ to reopen just days after the accident, allowing operators to reopen the ride to the public.

The move was criticized at the time by Shylah’s family, calling it “shameful”.

A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Royal Show told Daily Mail Australia at the time that WorkSafe had declared it safe to reopen the ride.