WA cold case murder trial abandoned

The trial of a Perth man accused of murdering his then-partner almost two decades ago has been aborted.

Chris Blennerhassett, 46, pleaded not guilty in the Western Australia Supreme Court to killing 23-year-old Rebecca Anne Delalande in Perth's eastern suburbs in November 2001.

Her body has never been found.

The trial started on Monday and had been listed for 10 days, but the jury was discharged on Thursday and the trial terminated.

Blennerhassett was remanded in custody ahead of a bail application hearing on Friday.

The prosecution had alleged Ms Delalande died violently at the hands of Blennerhassett during an argument before he disposed of her body to prevent it from being discovered.

Opening the trial on Monday, prosecutor Ben Stanwix said Ms Delalande - a sex worker and heroin addict who was frequently in contact with police - had lived a "chaotic and itinerant" life in the years before her death.

Detectives only learnt she was missing in late 2017 while investigating a separate missing person case.

But any trace of Ms Delalande, including financial and medical records and interactions with police, disappeared midway through November 2001 when she was in a de facto relationship with Blennerhassett, Mr Stanwix said.