A father from Melbourne, accused of killing his wife and six-year-old daughter when he allegedly stabbed them in their home, has been adjourned by a court while he is undergoing an assessment of mental disorders.
The 40-year-old Prabhal Sharma was charged with two counts of murder in connection with the knife shootings of his wife Pune Sharma and daughter Vanessa in January in Mill Park.
Their eldest daughter, who was 10 at the time, managed to escape and was not injured.
On Tuesday, Mr Sharma called the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a video link from the prison.
He sat staring at the screen with an empty expression and clasping his hands.
When his case was summoned, Mr Sharma fussed in his seat and spoke only twice – to confirm that he could hear Judge Don Bacass, and to thank her when the trial was adjourned.
“Yes, I hear you,” he said.
“Thank you, Your Lord.”
His lawyer, Rafael De Vietri, has asked for an eight-week adjournment while they await a report on mental disorders and a forensic psychiatrist’s assessment, which is scheduled for June.
Earlier, police claimed that the 39-year-old Ms. Sharma ran to a neighbor for help and was chased by her husband.
Mr Sharma injured himself when approached by police and was taken to a police-guarded hospital before being charged.
Ms. Sharma died at the scene, and her daughter Vanessa later died at the hospital.
The death was followed by an outpouring of grief, and a tribute was left in the family home.
Online fundraisers have been set up to support Ms. Sharma’s grieving family.
The case will be sent to court on July 29 for further mention of detention.
A hotline for domestic violence
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/prabhal-sharma-fronts-court-accused-of-killing-wife-and-six-year-old-daughter-c-6825327
