A man accused of striking the corpse of a close friend in a fatal crash may plead not guilty by reason of mental impairment to charges as a contested hearing is set.
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Samuel Angus Berron, in his 20s, was a passenger in a blue Subaru WRX that crashed into a tree, killing its driver, on Kingsford Smith Drive in Melba on May 20.
In a June statement, ACT Policing alleges that after the crash, Berron "struck the body of the driver of the vehicle several times and acted in an offensive manner towards witnesses".
"At one point, he allegedly threatened to kill a witness when they tried to calm him down," police said.
The defendant had not guilty pleas to all charges entered on his behalf in the ACT Magistrates Court.
Those charges are indecently or improperly interfering with a dead human body, behaving in an offensive manner in a public place, and recklessly threatening to kill a person.
In the latest court mention on Tuesday, defence lawyer Adrian McKenna said the brief of evidence has been received and that the not guilty pleas were maintained.
Mr McKenna said if pleas of not guilty due to mental impairment were to be entered based on psychiatric evidence, then he would notify the prosecution.
The case is set for a two-day contested hearing next June.
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The court previously issued a non-publication order of the case after a Legal Aid lawyer applied for such an order related to Berron's name.
"His mental health is extremely fragile and he's already dealing with the death of a close friend, who is the subject of a charge," the lawyer said at the time. The order was lifted in August.
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