Accused murderer of teacher appears in court as victim remembered

A man accused of murdering an English teacher and dumping her body in a wheelie bin has appeared in court, where police asked for extra time to process evidence collected from various crime scenes.

Stephen Fleming, 45, has been charged over the death of 67-year-old Coolaroo woman Annette Brennan, whose body was discovered by workers moving green waste at a tip in Epping last Wednesday.

Fleming is accused of killing the teacher in Coolaroo on or around July 1.

Investigators believe Brennan’s remains were inside a bin that was picked up outside her Hilgay Street home on Tuesday of last week and taken to the Epping waste facility about eight kilometres away.

Brennan, who taught English and was a tutor for overseas arrivals to Australia, had moved to the street just two months earlier and recently told a neighbour she was looking for a housemate to split the cost of renting the single-storey brick home.

Fleming appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutor Connor Rattray successfully asked for an extended 20 weeks to put together a brief of evidence and allow forensic officers to work through crime scenes connected to the investigation.

Dressed in a grey jumper and tracksuit pants, Fleming sat in the dock and was not required to speak during the short hearing.

Police allege Brennan and Fleming were known to each other, but it is not yet clear what relationship the pair had.