By Adam Cooper
A magistrate has raised concern about the potential delay in finalising the case against a 15-year-old girl charged over an alleged hit-run crash that killed a married couple.
The girl, who cannot be named, faced a children’s court on Monday following her arrest after the April 21 crash in Wantirna South that killed Matt Goland and Bita Zaeim, a couple from The Basin who had been married a year.
Flowers at the Wantirna South crash scene and, inset, married couple Matt Goland and Bita Zaeim.
Police allege the girl was a passenger in a stolen Lexus SUV that was driven by Eric Victorsen, who is accused of running a red light at speed and crashing into the couple’s Holden Commodore.
Mr Victorsen, 19, is charged with two counts of culpable driving causing death. The girl faces two counts of being an accessory to culpable driving. Police allege she assisted Mr Victorsen by ‘‘attempting to impede his apprehension’’.
In a short administrative hearing on Monday, a magistrate said she was concerned the girl faced a long wait in custody while police prepared the brief of evidence against Mr Victorsen. His lawyers are not due to receive the brief until mid-July.
The magistrate said the girl might not face a committal hearing until late 2018 if her lawyers had to wait on the same brief of evidence as Mr Victorsen.
‘‘I would ask the parties to give this the attention it [needs],’’ the magistrate told the prosecutor and defence lawyer.
Matt Goland, 38, and Bita Zaeim, 32, after their wedding in Bali.
‘‘Her matters really can’t wait until the resolution of the other [accused’s] matters.’’
Addressing the girl, who appeared via video link from youth detention, the magistrate told her: ‘‘I have got concerns because of your age how long it may take to finalise the charges ... so I am just asking them to hurry it up a little bit.’’
Mr Goland, 38, died at the scene of the crash and Ms Zaeim, 32, died in hospital.
The teenagers were arrested about 12 hours after the crash at a Belgrave home.
The girl sat slumped forward in her chair during Monday’s hearing and said ‘‘Yep’’ when asked if she could hear, and then ‘‘Yeah’’ when told reporters had applied for access to her charge sheets.
She is due to return to court on June 4.
Media cannot identify accused people who appear before the children’s court, the names of court officers or the court’s location.
Mr Victorsen is due to return to Melbourne Magistrates Court on August 27. Both teens are also charged with theft.