Scientist Serik Eliby to be recommended for discharge into community after killing wife

An international scientist found not guilty of his wife’s bashing murder due to mental incompetence is likely to be discharged into the community, a court has heard.

An internationally-recognised Adelaide scientist found not guilty of the bashing murder of his wife due to mental incompetence has been recommended for release into the community.

Serik Eliby was charged with one count of murder over the death of his wife Ainur Ismagul - who was repeatedly bashed with a dumbbell - at their Thistle Ave, Klemzig, home in 2015.

Eliby was found not guilty of the crime due to mental incompetence, but the court found the objective elements of the crime had been proved.

Trish Johnson, for Mr Eliby, told the Supreme Court on Monday her client was seeking full-time release back into the community.

She said forensic psychiatrist Dr William Brereton had “indicated that he would support (Eliby’s) discharge into the community”.

Justice Bampton ordered a report into Eliby’s progress, which is expected to prepared ahead of the next court hearing in July.

Ainur Ismagul.

Serik Eliby.

During earlier court hearings, it had been revealed Eliby was suffering from bipolar II disorder and had been delusional at the time of his offending.

It had heard he was depressed about losing his job and at the time of the incident “could not separate killing his wife from killing himself” and believed he was setting his wife “free”.

The couple had been working at the Urrbrae-based Australian Centre of Plant Function Genomics since 2006. The Kazakhstan-born couple lived and worked in plant research around the globe before settling in Adelaide, and had presented papers at international conferences. Their work has been published in scientific journals.

Seliby was declared liable to supervision and was initially detained at secure mental health facility James Nash House.