Bayley pleads not guilty to 12 charges

Adrian Ernest Bayley appeared in court via video link. Source: Supplied

ADRIAN Ernest Bayley has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges relating to alleged sex offences in the St Kilda area.

Bayley, 41, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court via video link today.

He verbally pleaded "not guilty" as Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge read out the charges to him.

Bayley has been charged with five counts of rape, three of false imprisonment and intentionally causing injury and a single count of making a threat to kill.

Bayley is accused of carrying out sex offences in the St Kilda area, dating back to 2000.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He forewent his right to a committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and will appear for a directions hearing in the County Court on May 21, when a trial date will be set.

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Bayley has a short fuse, say colleagues

A colleague of accused killer Adrian Bayley said he often talked about how he couldn't understand men physically hurting women. Picture: Facebook Source: Supplied

Video evidence shown to the court allegedly shows Adrian Bayley's movements over three days from a laneway, to an out-of-town petrol station and a suburban carwash.

ADRIAN Bayley joined his colleagues in lamenting Jill Meagher's disappearance, court documents say.

On the Monday after Jill vanished, he told colleagues his nose was cut and bruised when a Lebanese gang "jumped" him, they said.

Rangedale Drainage Services colleague Shaun Smith said Bayley, 41, was temperamental and argumentative. "He had a very short fuse and didn't like to be told he was wrong," his statement read.

Bayley was at work unusually early on the Monday and said he was going home because he had been sick all weekend.

Mr Smith said on the Tuesday he commented to Bayley, "How sad is it about this Jill?" and Bayley replied: "I know. It's sad, isn't it? I wonder what happened?"

Mr Smith said Bayley often talked about women. "He would say he couldn't understand how men could hurt women or be abusive."

But constant phone fights with his partner would change his personality. "He would be angry and aggressive towards everyone," he said.

Mr Smith, who had been out with Bayley and his girlfriend on the Friday night, said on the Saturday he discovered missed calls from Bayley between 12.50 and 1.20am --- about the time Ms Meagher was attacked -- and between 5 and 6am, when police say Bayley buried her.

Operations manager Jon Reed said on the Thursday Bayley approached him and said he'd had a call and had to leave. Mr Reed asked whether it had anything to do with Friday night, because of his nose, and Bayley said: "Probably."

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Bayley faces two new Jill rape charges

The man accused of murdering and raping Jill Meagher has been charged with two new offences.

THE man accused of killing Jill Meagher is also accused of raping the Irish-born ABC employee three times, Melbourne Magistrates' Court has been told.

Accused man Adrian Ernest Bayley's barrister Helen Spowart aired the revelation during an application to adjourn her client's up-coming committal hearing which is expected to start next Tuesday.

Mr Bayley, who appeared in court via video link this morning, is now facing one count of murder and three counts of rape.

Ms Meagher's husband, Tom, was in court flanked by Homicide Squad detectives today, and left court without comment following proceedings.

Ms Spowart told Magistrate Felicity Broughton that the defence wanted the committal hearing in relation to the Meagher case to be adjourned off for four weeks.

Ms Broughton refused the application, saying she was satisfied the defence had enough time to make relevant inquiries.

The committal is listed for two days.

Six witnesses are expected to be called.

Reasons for the request centered around a request for notes made by a police forensics scientist in relation to DNA.

Ms Spowart said Mr Bayley was seeking his own expert's report about the DNA analysis.

The court heard a separate police scientist had analysed damaged clothing, and Mr Bayley was seeking an independent textile expert to analyze that evidence.

Ms Spowart said there was other extra material that the defence needed to digest to determine if it would have an impact on the committal hearing.

Chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, SC, vigorously opposed the application to adjourn next week's preliminary hearing, saying the scientific police officers would be available to be cross examined at the committal.

He said the other extra material referred to would have no bearing on such a hearing.

Ms Broughton is considering the submissions.

In late January, police charged Mr Bayley, 41, with seven new sex-related charges linked to an attack on a woman in Elwood in November 2000.

Those charges were three counts of rape, two of intentionally causing injury and single counts of making a threat to kill and unlawful imprisonment.

This week, Mr Bayley was charged with offences relating to two separate alleged attacks.

He was charged with rape, intentionally causing injury and false imprisonment over an alleged attack on a woman in Elwood on April 5 last year.

He was also charged with rape and false imprisonment regarding a further alleged assault on a woman in Balaclava on July 15.

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