ANU baseball bat attacker allegedly planned for 'mass casualties'

Prosecutors have told a court a man charged with attempted murder for attacking a lecturer and students at the Australian National University was planning a “mass casualty attack”.

Alex Ophel, 18, applied for bail today to seek treatment at a community mental health facility.

Prosecutor Sara Gul opposed the application with concerns bail conditions wouldn’t prevent Mr Ophel leaving the treatment facility.

“This comes with a backdrop of some of the most explicit and horrific expressions of an intention to commit violence that this court ever sees,” Ms Gul said.

The court heard a police investigation revealed Mr Ophel allegedly searched for a range of explicit material online - including ISIS videos, violent pornography and information on how to kill someone with a baseball bat - in the weeks before the incident.

Prosecutors allege Mr Ophel told doctors at the Canberra Hospital he struggled with fantasies of rape and murder.

Defence lawyer John Purnell called on Mr Ophel’s treating psychiatrist who told the court the attack was the result of a psychosis which she believed would be best treated at the facility.

“The therapeutic security there would be adequate to keep he and the community safe,” she said.

“His acute phase is over - what he needs is rehabilitation now.”

The psychiatrist said further violent episodes couldn’t be ruled out but she believed the psychosis could be kept in check with medication and monitoring.

The defence also called Mr Ophel’s father, John Ophel, who told the court “this was all a shock to us.”

“We we’re unaware of our son’s condition,” he said.

Mr John Ophel claimed his son had self-harmed after he stopped taking his medication.

Court documents allege Mr Ophel entered a tutorial at the ANU campus in Canberra in August, carrying a black duffel bag.

Just minutes into the class it’s alleged Mr Ophel pulled a baseball bat from the bag and set upon the lecturer - attempting to strike her five times before turning on students who tried to intervene.

By the time ANU security arrived, blood was left splattering the desks and walls.

Mr Ophel was arrested at the scene and charged the following day with seven counts of assault before being transferred to a mental health unit at the Canberra hospital.

In November Mr Ophel pleaded not guilty be way of mental impairment and was remanded in custody.

Today, Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter said she needed more time to assess the material presented.

Mr Ophel was remanded in custody with a decision on his bail application to be handed down next week.