Man faces court over deaths of Belanglo Angel and her toddler

A RESTLESS Daniel James Holdom fronts court for the first time since his arrest in 2015 over the double murder of two-year-old Khandalyce Pearce and her mum Karlie Pearce-Stevenson.

The remains of Khandalyce Pearce were found in a suitcase by a highway near Wynarka, South Australia. Police believe the toddler was killed near Wagga Wagga. Picture: AAP

THE MAN accused of murdering a mother and her two-year-old daughter has appeared in person before a court for the first time.

Wearing his prison greens, Daniel James Holdom appeared nervous as he sat in the dock for the first time since his arrest in 2015, as part of a committal hearing for his trial which got underway in Sydney Central Local Court today.

Holdom is accused of killing Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, 20, in 2008 then dumping her body in the Belanglo State Forest, and later killing her daughter Khandalyce Pearce, whose remains were discovered in a suitcase on the side of a South Australian highway in 2014 following a tip-off.

Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson was known as the Belanglo Angel after her unidentified body was found in the notorious Belanglo Forest in 2010, dressed in a T-shirt adorned with an image of an angel.

Holdom, who is representing himself, pleaded with Magistrate Les Mabbutt last week to let him appear via AVL telling the court he wanted to stay in Goulburn jail “because I am safer here”.

He was, however, requested to make an appearance in court and was restless as he sat through proceedings in the dock.

He spoke only when asked questions by Magistrate Mabbutt or lawyer Edward Chee, who is assisting Holdom throughout the hearing after he sacked his Legal Aid lawyer last week, and could not tell the court exactly how much of the brief of evidence supplied by the Director of Public Prosecutions he had read.

“I have read about 50 per cent,” Holdom told the court.

Daniel James Holdom. Picture: Facebook

DPP prosecutor Victoria Engel told the court she would be submitting 42 volumes of evidence for the upcoming trial, in which it is understood police will allege witnesses saw two-year-old Khandalyce Pearce with a man several days after Holdom had allegedly killed her mother, Karlie, who was named the ‘Belanglo Angel’ following her death.

It’s then alleged Holdom killed Khandalyce while on the way to South Australia in the vicinity of Wagga Wagga some time between 2.17am on December 19 and 12.52am on December 20 in 2008.

Police had previously thought the little girl was killed near the small NSW town of Wallaroo, just outside Canberra, but new evidence has come to light to suggest the two-year-old was killed near Wagga Wagga.

It was only after a phone call to South Australian Crime Stoppers that the remains of Khandalyce were identified and then linked to the remains of her mother found in the NSW state forest made famous by backpacker killer Ivan Milat.

Ms Pearce-Stevenson was last seen driving near Coober Pedy in South Australia in 2008 after she left her home in Alice Springs to travel around Australia with her daughter.

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Police alleged her identity, bank account and mobile phone were used for years after her murder to convince her relatives and social security services that she was still alive and to fraudulently obtain welfare benefits. No charges have been laid in relation to those allegations.

Holdom is being held at Silverwater jail for the duration of the hearing.

The hearing continues before Magistrate Mabbutt.