Celeste Manno accused, Luay Sako, requests fitness hearing

A man accused of stabbing Celeste Manno will contest he’s not fit to stand trial, after refusing to take his medication amid claims he is being poisoned.

Celeste Manno was murdered while sleeping in her bedroom in November 2020.

A man who allegedly stalked Celeste Manno before creeping into her bedroom and stabbing her to death as she slept will contest he is not fit to stand trial.

A three-day fitness hearing has been slated in the Supreme Court for Luay Sako in November, just a week before the two-year anniversary of Ms Manno’s death.

Mr Sako, 37, from Roxburgh Park, is charged with murdering Ms Manno, 23, at her Mernda home on November 16, 2020.

The Supreme Court heard on Friday that Mr Sako had become paranoid while on remand in prison and was refusing to take his medication in belief he was being poisoned.

Luay Sako is accused of stalking and killing Ms Manno.

Defence barrister Sam Norton said his client was “not medicated at present” and remains in an isolation unit away from other inmates.

“He has been placed in that unit due to the issues that he has — his mental health,” Mr Norton said.

“There have been issues of self harm over the course of his remand.”

Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth suggested inquiries be made to see if Mr Sako could be transferred to the secure Thomas Embling hospital, pending his fitness hearing.

She said prisons don’t have the power to force Mr Sako to take his medications like can be done at Thomas Embling.

But Mr Norton said there were significant waiting times for the facility, with Mr Sako a long way down the queue.

Ahead of the fitness hearing, prosecutor Pat Bourke asked that Mr Sako undergo a further assessment by a psychologist.

Ms Manno’s mother, Aggie Di Mauro, with Celeste's brother Alessandro. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Norton opposed the move, saying a psychiatric assessment had already been done.

He accused the prosecution of “second guessing their own expert” and shopping around to find a witness that fit their case.

“It’s really the Crown seeking a psychologist to overcome the opinion of two psychiatrists,” Mr Norton said.

But Justice Hollingworth said psychiatrists and psychologists have different expertise, and ordered Mr Sako undergo the assessment in the interest of justice.

The case was adjourned for hearing on November 8.