The man accused of deliberately driving into pedestrians in Melbourne's Bourke Street mall has failed to appear in court after police finally charged him with murdering five people.
James 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas, 26, asked not to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday after he was charged with five counts of murder.
He was excused.
There were police in the courtroom when the case was heard, but no supporters for Gargasoulas.
Three people, including a 10-year--old girl, died when maroon Holden Commodore, allegedly driven by Gargasoulas, mounted the footpath at Bourke St mall about 1.30pm on Friday.
A 33-year-old man died in hospital later that night. A three-month-old boy died on Saturday.
At least two people are still in a critical condition, with up to 32 others injured in the incident.
Police say more charges will be laid against him.
Officers had to wait until Monday afternoon to interview Gargasoulas, who turns 27 on Thursday.
He underwent surgery on Saturday after being shot in the arm by police on Friday as they stopped his alleged murderous rampage.
Prosecutor Brendan Kissane QC asked the court for extra time for police to build their case against Gargasoulas - and for his next court appearance to be set for January 2018.
Magistrate Jelena Popovic refused.
"I will tell you now, I will not adjourn the matter until a date in January (next year)," she said.
"I will adjourn it to a date this year."
The prosecution wanted the longer than usual time of nine months due to the complexity of the case.
"It's unusual because of the unprecedented events," Mr Kissane said.
Parts of the CBD were in lockdown on Friday while officers collected evidence over a large area.
The premier promised the state coroner extra resources if she needed given the enormous scale of her investigation.
Counsel for Gargasoulas, Megan Casey, said in court on Monday she understood there may be "voluminous material" but said such a delay was concerning.
"I have concerns about the matter going for as long as that," she said.
There was no application for bail for Gargasoulas, who has been remanded into custody.
His lawyer said the 26-year-old required medical care.
"He has had surgery in the last few days so requires medical attention," Ms Casey said.
He case is due to return to court on August 1 for a special mention.
Ms Popovic ordered the brief of evidence be served on Gargasoulas' lawyers by October 20.
