Ex-boyfriend to stand trial for killing Oz-Indian woman and siblings

Brisbane, Oct 13 (ANI): The accused killer of an Indian-origin woman and her two siblings in Australia, Max Sica is set to face a murder trial after a seven year police investigation and a 94-day committal hearing, following the magistrate's decision that there was sufficient evidence against him.

Sica showed little emotion when he was finally ordered to stand trial for killing his ex-girlfriend Neelma Singh, 24, her 18-year-old brother Kunal, and 12-year-old Sidhi, News.com.au reported.

All three were found slain and dumped in the spa of their Bridgeman Downs home on Brisbane's northside on April 22, 2003.

When asked if he liked to say anything or enter a plea, Sica replied, "No thank you".

He will remain in custody until his trial in the Supreme Court on a date, which is yet to be fixed.

During the hearing, Sica's defence counsel had pleaded to the magistrate that he should have "significant concerns" about the testimony of witness Andrea Bowman- Sica's former friend who claimed that the accused had made a confession to her about the killings.

But the magistrate said that he found Bowman "quite intelligent", and that that evidence alone was sufficient to send Sica to trial. "I'm satisfied the words allegedly spoken by the defendant could amount to a confession," he said.

He also pointed to the evidence about the alarm system at the Singh household, which was usually armed late at night, but not on the night of April 20 when Sica is alleged to have committed the murders.

The magistrate further pointed out that the Singh family's dog was still in the house when the bodies were discovered, indicating that the pet was familiar with the killer.

He also noted that the garden fork used in the slayings was also kept in a part of the garage which could not be easily seen by people who did not know the house.

The court also heard evidence that Neelma had been in a relationship with a man in Fiji, and that Sica had sent her nude photos to her friends and family.

Hine said even though some of the evidence was "tenuous and inherently weak", there was sufficient evidence to put Sica on trial. (ANI)