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A Victorian man accused of murdering an Adelaide mother at her workplace 26 years ago intends to plead not guilty to the charge, a court has heard.
Key Points
- Matthew Donald Tilley was extradited from Ballarat to Adelaide on Monday
- He was remanded in custody but his lawyer says he intends to apply for bail
- The body of his alleged victim, Suzanne Poll, was found in Salisbury in 1993
Matthew Donald Tilley, 46, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning charged with murdering Suzanne Poll in 1993.
The mother-of-two was stabbed to death at the stationery shop where she worked in Salisbury, in Adelaide's north.
Mr Tilley was arrested in Ballarat on Friday after a relative's DNA allegedly linked him to the cold case.
He was extradited to Adelaide yesterday after facing the Ballarat Magistrates' Court — which heard he had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mr Tilley's lawyer Craig Caldicott today told the court his client intended to plead not guilty to the charge.
When asked outside court how his client was coping with his mental health issues while in custody, Mr Caldicott said he appeared "reasonably calm".
"My client has instructed me that he intends to plead not guilty," he said.
"When I was speaking to him this morning he seemed fine, he's resolute."
Mr Caldicott said Mr Tilley was shocked to be charged with the offence.
"At some stage we will be applying for bail," he said.
Mr Tilley was remanded in custody to face court again in September 2020.
'I hope I'm still alive by then,' victim's sister says
Outside court, Ms Poll's sister Sandra Ryles commented on the 12-month wait until the next court hearing.
"I hope I'm still alive by then," she said.
"I didn't see him much, there were so many people in there, it just went quick."
Ms Ryles said Ms Poll's children were heartbroken.
"They have been through a lot, they have been waiting, waiting and waiting," she said.
Mr Caldicott said the lengthy delay was frustrating for all involved.
"It's endemic in this new system that we've currently got that it takes a long time to get matters from this court to a superior court to deal with by way of trial," he said.
"Anyone would have thought that we should be able to do it a hell of a lot quicker than in a 12-month period, simply to gather some evidence.
"For both victims and the defendant it's important that trials happen expeditiously … rather than waiting in this day and time two or three years."
Yesterday, SA Police released a letter from Ms Poll's daughter Melissa, where she said that her family was still in shock and "experiencing the grief and pain as if it happened all over again".
Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, law-crime-and-justice, crime, courts-and-trials, adelaide-5000, salisbury-5108, sa, ballarat-3350, vic, australia