Hi °C | Lo °C THE man accused of the rape and murder of Irish woman Jill Meagher is to be interviewed by police about possible new criminal charges.
Adrian Ernest Bayley (41) will also be physically examined by Australian detectives to see if he has any distinguishing marks on his body.
The latest developments came as Bayley appeared at Melbourne Magistrates' Court via video link from the prison where he has been held for the past four months.
A Victoria police representative made an application seeking to question Bayley and to examine his body for any identifying marks.
Magistrate Peter Reardon granted the application following a two-hour hearing, many details of which were not disclosed for legal reasons.
Bayley was dressed in a shirt and sat with his hands clasped on the desk in front of him for most of the hearing.
At one point he apologised to the magistrate for background noise coming from the prison door behind him.
He is charged with the rape and murder of 29-year-old Co Louth woman Ms Meagher in the Brunswick area of Melbourne in September last year.
He is fighting the charges and will appear again in court on March 12 for a committal hearing during which witnesses will be cross-examined.
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If it is determined that there is sufficient evidence for him to be sent forward for trial, that could take place as early as June.
A suppression order preventing the publication of any potentially prejudicial material about Bayley will remain in place at least until the March hearing.
Ms Meagher, originally from Drogheda, Co Louth, moved to Australia three years ago and settled in Melbourne where she worked for ABC radio.
She failed to return home from a night out with work colleagues and was reported missing on September 22.
Her disappearance sparked a major missing persons appeal and investigation by police. CCTV footage of her last walk home was released in a bid to trace the mystery man in the blue hoodie who was seen talking to her outside a bridal shop.
Some five days after she went missing, Bayley, from the Coburg area, brought police to a dirt road 30km outside Melbourne where her body was discovered in a shallow grave.
He was charged with her rape and murder and was remanded in custody to Melbourne Assessment Prison.
In late October he was found in his cell bleeding from extensive wounds – believed to have been self-inflicted.
Irish Independent
