THE man accused of murdering a woman and child in a deadly Tamworth housefire has been charged with attempting to kill the woman and child who survived the inferno.
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Richard George Sands is now facing two counts of murder, as well as two new charges of the attempted murder of a woman and a young boy in the October 17 fire in Hillvue.
Detectives laid the fresh charges, after further investigations into the housefire, as one woman critically injured in the fire was still being treated in hospital.
Sands did not appear in Tamworth Local Court on Wednesday when his case was mentioned.
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Legal Aid solicitor Wendy McAuliffe said her client - who had been receiving treatment in hospital for burns suffered in the fire - "isn't required" to appear via video link from prison.
He has not been required to enter pleas to any of the charges. Police prosecutor Sergeant Rob Baillie said the first part of the brief of evidence was to be served on Legal Aid by "express delivery" on Thursday.
"A brief is arriving shortly - the first part of the brief, I'm told," he said, adding it was likely further evidence would be served as it came to hand.
"I think that's going to be the case for a little while."
Sergeant Baillie said he had spoken to the officer-in-charge at court on Wednesday morning, and asked for an adjournment to the end of February, as police continue to compile the evidence.
"There's a lot of other forensic material to be obtained," he told the court.
Ms Soars adjourned the matter until the end of February for a status check on the case, with evidence "to be served as a rolling brief".
"I'll mark him 'bail not applied for, refused' today," she told the court.
A court order remains in place prohibiting the identification of the woman and child who survived the fire, and the two deceased people.
The non-publication and suppression order continues in the same terms and for the same reasons.
- Magistrate Julie Soars
"The non-publication and suppression order continues in the same terms and for the same reasons," Ms Soars said.
Detectives allege Sands deliberately set fire to the home on October 17 just before dawn, killing a woman, whose body was found in the front bedroom, and a young boy, whose remains were found at the back of the house.
The second woman and child survived the fire and were rushed to hospital for burns. The woman was later airlifted to a specialist unit in Sydney, having suffered burns to almost 80 per cent of her body.
The boy was released from hospital in the days after the fire.
Sands was initially refused bail on two counts of murder, in a bedside hearing in Tamworth hospital the day after the fire.
He'd made no application for bail and it was refused by Ms Soars, who ordered he remain in custody.
The same day, Sands was moved to a specialist burns wing in a Sydney hospital to have his injuries treated. He has since been released.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
