A woman accused of manslaughter after a suspected drug death will fight the allegations at trial, a court has been told.
Kathryn Telenta, 44, was charged by police with two manslaughter offences in October last year after the death of Tony Dagher, 51, in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East nearly nine months earlier.
Police allege Mr Dagher was found dead at a Edward Street property about 3.30am on January 23, in what is “believed to have been an adverse reaction to a drug of dependence”.
The pair, police have alleged, are known to each other.
She appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday as her lawyer told the court Ms Telenta wanted to “fast-track” the case for trial in the Victorian Supreme Court.
The accused woman pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing Mr Dagher’s death, one alleging she unlawfully killed him while the other alleged she killed him through negligence.
The presiding magistrate was told Ms Telenta did not intend to rely on a defence of mental impairment or raise questions about her fitness to stand trial.
She was committed to stand trial in the Victorian Supreme Court and will appear in that court on Valentines’ Day for a directions hearing.
The fast-track process allows an accused person to have their trial heard sooner by skipping a committal hearing in the magistrates’ Court jurisdiction where a magistrate hears the evidence and decides if the case should proceed for trial.
Ms Telenta’s bail was extended until her next court appearance.
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