Aiia Maasarwe’s family yet to learn details of alleged attack

Author : mamun Published: January 20, 2019

Updated

January 21, 2019 14:52:31

Photo:
Codey Herrmann has been remanded in custody to reappear at a committal mention in June. (ABC News)

A Melbourne magistrate said it would be “very confronting” for the family of exchange student Aiia Maasarwe to discover the full details of the allegations against her accused killer Codey Herrmann through the media.

Key points:

Charge sheets have been redacted as police are yet to detail the alleged attack to Ms Maasarwe’s family, the court heard
Ms Maasarwe’s body was found near a tram stop in Melbourne’s north last week
Her family is preparing to return her body to Israel for burial

Mr Herrmann, 20, appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for the second time since being arrested and charged over the 21-year-old’s death last Wednesday, with prosecutors formally filing the charges against him.

Police believe Ms Maasarwe was on her way home from a comedy club in North Melbourne when she was attacked shortly after getting off the Route 86 tram in Bundoora.

Her body was discovered behind a hedge outside a shopping centre about 100 metres from the tram stop.

Ms Maasarwe had been living in Australia for five months to take part in a one-year exchange program at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus.

The court heard Ms Maasarwe’s family have not been informed of the full details of the attack and a request was made for the charge sheets to be redacted to allow the police to have a sensitive conversation with them.

Magistrate Jonathon Klestadt agreed it would be “very confronting” for the family to be made aware of the specific allegations through the media and refused to release them.

Ms Maasarwe’s body was released to the family by the Coroner today, so they can begin preparations to bury her in Israel.

Photo:
Aiia Maasarwe was midway through a one-year exchange at La Trobe University. (Instagram: Ruba Photography)

Mr Herrmann was arrested in the neighbouring suburb of Greensborough late on Friday morning, and appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the following day.

He was not required to speak during today’s brief hearing and sat looking at the ground for most of it.

Mr Herrmann’s defence lawyer told the court it was his client’s first time in custody and he would be vulnerable due to his age and appearance.

Mr Herrmann will return to court in June for a committal mention.

Topics:

courts-and-trials,

law-crime-and-justice,

murder-and-manslaughter,

crime,

sexual-offences,