Sinitta Tammy Dawita and Tane Saul Desatge still awaiting date for Supreme Court trial on murder charge over death of Kaydence Mills

The couple was committed to stand trial on charge of murder in August 2022 but still await Supreme Court trial date. Here’s the latest.

The Toowoomba Supreme Court trial of two people charged with murder arising from the death of Chinchilla toddler Kaydence Dawita Mills may not be heard until the second half of 2024 at the earliest, a court has been told.

Kaydence’s mother Sinitta Tammy Dawita, 31, and her then partner Tane Saul Desatge, 43, were each charged with murder in September 2020 after the remains of the little girl were found near Chinchilla in March 2020.

Kaydence Dawita Mills.

Police believe Kaydence died some time between March and October 2017 when she would have been between three-and-a-half to four years old.

Neither of the accused has as yet been required to enter any pleas to their respective charges which include murder, torture and interfering with a corpse.

The pair was committed to stand trial after a committal hearing in Dalby Magistrates Court in August 2022.

However, their trial has been delayed due to a number of reasons but the case was mentioned before Justice Martin Burns in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Barrister David Jones KC, for Ms Dawita, told the court that barrister Frank Martin, for Mr Desatge, was engaged in another matter in another court, but he had instructed that he would be applying to the court for a separate trial from his client’s co-accused, Ms Dawita, or for a judge alone trial.

Tane Saul Desatge and Sinitta Tammy Dawita are each charged with murder arising from death of Ms Dawita’s daughter Kaydence Dawita Mills.

Justice Burns, who is scheduled to preside over other matters in the Supreme Court sittings in Toowoomba in April, directed that any pre-trial applications and associated material be filed and served with the Crown by March 11 with the Crown to respond by March 18.

Justice Burns listed the case for review on March 27 when a date for trial or trials may be set.

Justice Burns said the Supreme Court calendar for sittings in Toowoomba for the second half of 2024 was still being worked on.

Ms Dawita and Mr Desatge were not required to be in court for the mention of their matters on Wednesday and each has been remanded in custody awaiting trial.