Stanford to face trial over teacher death

Stephanie Scott's alleged killer Vincent Stanford is expected to face a NSW Supreme Court trial, while twin Marcus has admitted a murder accessory charge.

Murdered teacher Stephanie Scott

Murdered teacher Stephanie Scott Source: AAP

The man accused of raping and murdering popular Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott has been committed to stand trial in the NSW Supreme Court.

Vincent Stanford, 25, appeared via video-link in Griffith Local Court on Thursday charged with the rape and murder of the 26-year-old drama and English teacher on Easter Sunday last year.

His twin brother Marcus Stanford also appeared in the Griffith court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory to murder after the fact.

The brief of evidence in the case includes intercepted telephone calls made by Vincent Stanford from behind bars, a list of books he borrowed from Leeton library and a series of emails relating to adult dating sites and the purchase of items including a knife, flexicuffs, a "training sword", cleaning products, Viagra and sex toys.

Ms Scott's body was discovered in a burned patch of scrub in the Cocoparra National Park on April 10, 2015 - the day before she had planned to walk down the aisle with her childhood sweetheart Aaron Leeson-Woolley.

Vincent Stanford, who has been in custody since his arrest last year, had been accused of committing aggravated sexual intercourse without consent occasioning actual bodily harm, but that charge has been withdrawn.

He is now expected to be arraigned in the Supreme Court in Sydney on charges of murder and aggravated sexual assault in circumstances that allegedly involved holding Ms Scott captive for a period of time prior to the assault.

His arraignment on those offences is listed for May 6.

Court documents reveal investigators took statements from more than 100 witnesses as they built their case against him.

A police charge sheet alleges that Marcus Stanford knew his twin had murdered Ms Scott and that he assisted his brother between April 8 and May 31 last year.

His case has been sent to the District Court for sentence and he will remain behind bars until his case returns to court in May.


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Source: AAP


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