Accused Bourke St killer: Why medical records could determine what happens next
THE case of murder-accused Bourke Street driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas will return to court today but his medical records might determine what happens next.
VICTORIA’S Justice Department has made medical records available to help determine if accused Bourke Street driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas can stand trial, after a judge slammed the delay as “ridiculous”.
Last week, counsel for Gargasoulas said the Department of Justice and Regulation had not handed more than 1100 pages of records, which they need to assess his mental state.
The defence says establishing Gargasoulas’ mental state would determine his fitness to be tried or mental impairment and how the case proceeds. Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry criticised Justice authorities for the delay. But when the matter returned to the Supreme Court on Monday for another update, defence barrister Dr Theo Alexander said the materials were made available on Wednesday, following publicity about the delay.
Gargasoulas is facing six counts of murder and 28 charges of attempted murder over the Bourke St rampage on January 20.
He is accused of driving through the Melbourne CBD, deliberately striking pedestrians around Bourke and Queen Streets as the area teemed with lunchtime crowds, before he was shot and wounded by police.
Gargasoulas’ case is still before Melbourne Magistrates Court, where it will next appear on December 15 for a committal mention. But the defence and prosecution have been providing updates about its progress to the higher jurisdiction. Monday’s hearing was the fourth update.
The 27-year-old has been assessed by a forensic psychiatrist and psychologist while in custody, but they cannot finalise their reports until they have his medical history.
The court previously heard the Department of Justice had sent Gargasoulas’ lawyers a letter saying it could only provide 150 pages of his records at a time due to its workload.