A man accused of murdering his girlfriend's seven-year-old son following months of abuse is set to face trial in October.
The former Christian hip-hop producer was charged with numerous offences, including murder after the boy died in Sydney in May 2013.
The man, who cannot be named, appeared briefly via audiovisual link at the Supreme Court on Wednesday where he was expected to enter pleas.
But the court heard he needed more time to organise representation as Legal Aid was reassigning the matter.
The crown alleges the boy had been well cared for by the mother, but when she struck up a relationship with the man in January 2013, things began to change.
The mother, the boy and his two siblings moved into the man's music studio in Sydney and she quickly became influenced by his "parenting philosophy", it is alleged.
In the following months, the boy is said to have been subjected to prolonged and varied physical and emotional abuse.
Although toilet trained, he and his siblings wore nappies in the studio to defecate and had to urinate in buckets as it had no toilet facilities.
Then in a series of films, the boyfriend allegedly directed the children to hit their seven-year-old brother.
While they did this he allegedly yelled "soldiers, what is your profession?" - a reference to the Spartans movie, 300.
The boyfriend also allegedly told a friend he had forced the boy to wear his soiled underpants on his head as punishment.
He also shaved off the seven-year-old's eyebrows and hair so he looked like the character Neo from the Matrix films, it is alleged.
The man's trial was set down for October and is expected to run for six to eight weeks.
He is due to return to court in May for a mention.
It comes after the boy's mother pleaded guilty in Central Local Court on Tuesday to a litany of charges, including manslaughter.
She is also set to return to court in May.
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