Isla Bell: manslaughter charge dropped against man accused of killing Melbourne teen and hiding body in fridge

Prosecutors have withdrawn a manslaughter charge against a man who had been accused of killing a 19-year-old woman and hiding her body in a fridge.Marat Ganiev, 55, was accused of killing Isla Bell in the early hours of 7 October 2024, before hiding her body in a fridge.Her remains were found at a rubbish tip in Melbourne’s south-east six weeks later.Ganiev was originally charged with murder but that was downgraded to manslaughter as the case entered the Victorian supreme court.Crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams on Tuesday told the court the manslaughter charge against Ganiev had also been withdrawn.Ganiev will instead be charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, with a fresh indictment expected to be filed later on Tuesday.A new trial date is yet to be set but a summary of the allegations will be served to defence within the next fortnight.Eyal Yaffe, 59, was also originally accused of assisting an offender and attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to Bell’s death.McWilliams on Tuesday also confirmed Yaffe’s charges would be discontinued.Yaffe declined to comment as he used crutches to walk out of court a free man.A spokesperson for the Office of Public Prosecutions confirmed the charges had been withdrawn due to “insufficient evidence” to support the offences.