A relatively rare legal move, the ex officio indictments can be challenged by the accused who may feel they should have had the evidence against them tested in a committal hearing, but it is understood that is unlikely in this case. The move will ensure there will be several weeks of voir dire hearings in the Supreme Court, most likely in October, in which the evidence against each of the accused is tested and challenged by their legal teams.   A trial date has been set for late April next year with police and lawyers expecting the matter to run for up to six months.
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New era for South Australia’s judicial system
South Australia’s new Court of Appeal will today hold a Special Sitting, marking the start of a new era in the State’s judicial history.
Five judges have been appointed to the Court of Appeal with Justice Trish Kelly named the Court’s President – the only serving woman President of a Court of Appeal within Australia.
Justices David Lovell, Sam Doyle, Mark Livesey and Chris Bleby, make up the remainder of the Court. Each is renowned for their appellate knowledge and skill.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman says their combined experience and knowledge will ensure the Court is perfectly equipped to handle its appellate workload.
02:47 EDT, 1 February 2021
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A woman jailed for poisoning her partner with a toxic cocktail of drugs, including morphine, valium and tramadol, has had her murder conviction overturned.
Wendie-Sue Dent, 62, denied killing her de facto husband David Lawrence in December 2015 to claim his $300,000 estate.
But she was found guilty by a South Australian Supreme Court jury in April last year of murdering Mr Lawrence inside his Morphett Vale home, south of Adelaide.
The prosecution had alleged Dent, who lived at Dapto in NSW s Illawarra region before her arrest, administered Mr Lawrence a mixture of dangerous medications that had all been prescribed to her.
Wendie-Sue Dent s murder conviction quashed on appeal
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FebFebruary 2021 at 1:29pm
Accused woman Wendie-Sue Dent will face a Supreme Court retrial after her murder conviction was quashed on appeal.
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Alleged killer Wendie-Sue Dent will face a second Supreme Court trial over allegations she poisoned her partner with prescription medication in 2015 after South Australia s Court of Criminal Appeal quashed her murder conviction.
Key points:
Wendie-Sue Dent was found guilty in 2020 of murdering her partner by poisoning him with prescription medication
That finding was quashed by the criminal appeal court, which said jurors were not directed about Ms Dent s lies correctly