Case delay for elderly Vic murder suspect

An elderly man accused of murder has had his case put off for six months because lawyers can't secure a mental health report any sooner.

Ronald George Sparkes, 89, is accused of murdering his 87-year-old wife Margaret Sparkes in a retirement village at The Basin, in Melbourne's southeast, last May.

He was initially being held in custody, but his lawyer told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday that he was now on bail and living in a nursing home.

She said he had become "very unwell" in custody and had been hospitalised for physical and mental health issues, prompting his release.

Magistrate Donna Bakos said Sparkes' case should be handed straight to the Supreme Court, bypassing the usual committal stage in the lower court.

That has occurred in a large number of cases as courts try to work around coronavirus-related delays.

But the case will instead return to the Magistrates Court in late-September because Sparkes' lawyers are waiting for a report from Forensicare, a forensic mental health care group.

The court heard the organisation is closed and staff have been doing remote assessments and interviews, which has created a six-month delay.

Ms Bakos ordered Sparkes to appear in court, either in person or by video, in September.