Hospital won't delay Vic murder hearing

The committal hearing for a sick, elderly man accused of murdering his wife and another woman in a Victorian hair salon 24 years ago will proceed even if he's in hospital.

Robert Penny, who is charged over a cold-case double-murder, missed another court appearance on Wednesday due to serious illness.

The 83-year-old, who is on bail, suffers from emphysema, diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver and is in hospital, the Melbourne Magistrates Court was told on Wednesday.

Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg set a date of November 16 for his committal hearing, and said it could be structured to allow Penny to be absent for some or all of the three-week hearing.

"I have no difficulty with it, from my perspective," Mr Rozencwajg said.

"There are some medical issues here that don't look like they're going away."

Penny's lawyer Sam Norton said he could take steps to ensure he still got adequate instructions from his client.

"He's had this scare in the last couple of days but it is an ongoing issue," Mr Norton said of Penny's health.

Penny was charged in April over the unsolved stabbing murders of his wife Margaret and another woman, Claire Acocks, in Ms Acocks' Portland hair salon in south-west Victoria in 1991.