A Canberra university student accused of trying to murder his tutor and classmates with a baseball bat was on Tuesday committed to stand trial.
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Lawyers for Alex Ophel told the court the man's conduct was not in dispute, but the question at trial would be around his mental impairment.
Mr Ophel, 18, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court first to hear the outcome of an earlier bail application.
During the application last week, the court heard psychiatrists believed Mr Ophel was experiencing psychosis at the time of the alleged attack as a result of undiagnosed and untreated schizophrenia.
His lawyers said Mr Ophel, who is being held in jail, would receive better treatment for his condition at Brian Hennessy house, a mental health facility.
But prosecutors opposed his release. And on Tuesday, Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter declined to free the man from jail.
She said that because Mr Ophel was charged with attempted murder, he had to show there were special and exceptional circumstances before she considered his bail application.
She referred to a decision from a supreme court judge, which said that a person in prison who suffered mental impairment was not special or exceptional.
The higher court decision also said it was regrettable, but not uncommon, if a person's mental health deteriorated while in prison.
It also noted that the justice system was obligated to provide treatment not of a lesser quality than what was available in the community.
Ms Hunter said she was bound by the higher court's decision.
That there is "better treatment in the community is not a special or exceptional circumstance in the scheme of this case," Ms Hunter said.
On August 25, Mr Ophel allegedly stood up during his statistics class at the Australian National University and started attacking students and his tutor with a baseball bat.
He struck a man sitting in the middle of the classroom in the head, and then struck a woman in the head, court documents allege.
Both were bleeding from the wounds, and one student lost the tip of his finger when he put his hands up to shield his head from the blows.
Mr Ophel then allegedly started attacking the tutor, and another student.
A fourth student intervened and Mr Ophel turned his attention towards him before he was restrained.
Police officers arrived to a bloodied classroom, and students and security restraining Mr Ophel.
Police arrested the student.
He allegedly told mental health staff during an assessment that day that he had planned the attack and wanted to kill everyone there.
He also said he wanted to keep one woman alive and rape her.
There were five alleged victims.
Mr Ophel is charged with four counts of attempted murder and one of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He is also charged with a series of back-up assault offences.
He has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental impairment to all charges.
Ms Hunter, at the request of defence solicitor Tim Sharman, also committed Mr Ophel for trial on Tuesday in the ACT Supreme Court.
The case first appears in the higher court for mention on February 1.
