Teenager's Gunnedah murder case delayed in NSW Supreme Court for Crown to consider judge alone trial application

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared via video link from custody in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday when her case was delayed by a week.

Justice Robert Hulme asked lawyers in the matter to "move with sufficient dispatch" to resolve issues like how long the trial will take, where it might run, witnesses needed and whether it could be judge alone.

"This matter cries out for expedition," Justice Hulme told the court.

"That's 14 months for the case to arrive in this court, which in the case of a juvenile is extremely undesirable to say the least."

Public defender Stuart Bouveng said he had applied for the trial to be heard by a judge alone and not a jury, but had only given reasons for that application to the Crown the day before the mention.

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The barrister for the state prosecuting authority, the DPP, told the court the Crown with carriage of the matter was on leave and would review it as soon as possible.

"The Crown hasn't said it doesn't consent ... it just needs to consider the position," he said.

Mr Bouveng said he estimated the trial would only take a few days if dealt with by a judge, and said issues in the case were "extremely narrow".

Justice Hulme said the nature of the case would "provoke a venue of Tamworth" for the trial, but Mr Bouveng said that was not necessary if the matter could proceed more quickly in a different location.

He said there was "absolutely no reason" he could foresee that the trial would need to be in Tamworth.

"There will be no witnesses that I anticipate from this area other than perhaps a police officer," he said.

He said the alleged victim's family, who appeared on the screen for the court mention, were not from the area.

Justice Hulme said it was impossible for him to make any determinations based on what he had been told and ultimately re-listed the case to be "usefully" back before him next week.

"We're going to do all we can and we expect everybody to do all they can to move this case forward as quickly as it possibly can be," he said.

Police allege the teenage girl murdered another young girl at a property near Gunnedah on the morning of July 8 last year.

The accused was arrested by police at a farm later that morning and has been in juvenile detention since.

Details of the case cannot be reported due to strict suppression orders, including the alleged victim's injuries.

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