THE man accused of killing an Armidale plumber is yet to formally enter a plea in the supreme court.
Andrew John Osmand is charged with the stabbing murder of Kenneth Hodges in Dangersleigh on June 21 last year.
He was due to appear in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney for an arraignment to enter a plea but the case was adjourned by Justice Elizabeth Fullerton.
Osmand made no application for bail and it was formally refused by Justice Fullerton, who ordered the case to return to court in August.
Once the 48-year-old formally enters a plea, the Crown and defence will determine the length of the murder trial, and whether it will be held in Armidale or Sydney.
READ MORE:
In April, Osmand didn’t enter a plea but waived his right to a committal hearing where he could have challenged the evidence, and instead Armidale Local Court was told he would head straight to trial.
Osmand is accused of murdering Mr Hodges by stabbing him in the the neck at the property they were both staying at, on Dangars Falls Rd at Dangarsleigh.
Strike Force Kinsella – the police operation by Armidale detectives to investigate Mr Hodges’ death – arrested Osmand at the Dangarsleigh property on the morning of June 22.
Detectives allege Osmand stabbed the 43-year-old during an incident at the house on the outskirts of Armidale, sometime between the night of June 21 and the morning of June 22.
