The man accused of trying to kill two Australian National University students with a knife and assaulting two more has been committed to stand trial.
Alex Ophel, 25, was arrested and charged with two counts each of attempted murder and common assault in September last year following a violent afternoon incident on the Canberra campus.
He has denied these charges, and a single count of possessing an object with intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm, on mental impairment grounds.
The man, who is a former ANU student, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday for his high-profile case to progress to a higher court, where he is ultimately set to fight the allegations.
He appeared via audio-visual link from custody wearing a grey tracksuit jumper and pants.
Ophel was unsteady in his chair and could be heard breathing loudly through his mouth during the brief appearance.
"Sorry, I can't hear you," he interjected while defence lawyer Tim Sharman proposed a future court date.
The case has been slowly progressing for the past 10 months while a mental health assessment report was sought by defence and a formal plea was eventually entered.
The alleged attacks
Ophel is accused of assaulting a male student on the ANU campus by hitting him in the head with a frying pan about 2.40pm on September 18, 2023.
He then allegedly stabbed a 20-year-old female student multiple times, leaving her in a serious condition and under hospital intensive care for several days.
Ophel is then said to have chased a second 20-year-old female student and stabbed her, before allegedly assaulting a fourth student.
Police reportedly apprehended the man just over 10 minutes after the alleged attacks began.
The case is set to go before a registrar later this month to eventually be allocated trial dates.
