A late bid to adjourn the trial of a Melbourne man for the murder of his estranged wife has fallen flat, with a barrister being told “things don’t always go your way” by a judicial registrar as the original April 2023 trial was maintained.
Chris Farrington, junior counsel acting for alleged murderer Zoran Pandilovski, told the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday morning that “diary mismanagement” was the reason he was seeking an adjournment, saying it was Mr Pandilovski’s wish he be maintained for the trial.
“It’s embarrassing but that’s the reality,” Mr Farrington said.
Mr Pandilovski, 47, is accused of murdering his estranged wife Elaine Pandilovski, then 44, at her home in Mill Park on July 14, 2020.
Police allege that after murdering Ms Pandilovski, a teacher’s aide who lived in Mill Park with her young son, Mr Pandilovski drove head-on into a car travelling in the opposite direction in Mount Cottrell, in Melbourne’s outer west, for which he is facing dangerous driving charges.
Mr Pandilovski, who lived in the outer-north suburb of Epping, a short distance from Mill Park, was placed under arrest in hospital the day after Ms Pandilovski was allegedly murdered, with police at the time saying they believed the murder and the car crash, which left two others hospitalised, may have been linked.
The court had previously been told that land title records, an analysis of a shoe impression and a pathological report were part of the prosecution’s brief of evidence against Mr Pandilovski.
On Thursday, Crown prosecutor Neil Hutton initially pushed back against Mr Farrington’s attempts to adjourn the trial date.
“Courts are not run to the convenience of counsel,” Mr Hutton said.
He told the court that as Mr Farrington was junior counsel in the matter, there was plenty of time for a new junior counsel to be briefed.
Judicial registrar Elizabeth Tueno said moving the trial date was not convenient for the court.
The date of April 12 next year was maintained, with a final directions hearing listed for March 14.
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