An accused killer’s committal hearing has been pushed back after his brother allegedly burnt down the family home.
However, prosecutor Matthew Cookson requested to postpone the hearing as two crucial witnesses – Torney’s brother and mother – were no longer able to testify.
But magistrate Stephen Ballek described the circumstances as “extreme” and allowed the adjournment given the seriousness of the charges.
Torney was remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court in October for a four-day committal hearing.
It’s alleged he knew Bates, 49, who was found dead inside a Cobram property, near the NSW border, on April 23, 2024.
Police initially charged Torney with 13 offences including intentionally causing injury, several counts of assault and breaching a court order.
An additional charge of negligent manslaughter was laid against Torney in December.
In 2016, Torney was acquitted of murdering a toddler after the two-year-old girl’s beaten body was discovered in the roof cavity of a Mildura house.
