Grant Oldfield committed to trial for alleged murder of Kambah's Douglas Creek

Grant Allen Q Oldfield, 50, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Douglas Arthur Creek. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

A man accused of murdering an elderly south Canberra resident complained about the perceived length of time his matter was taking to progress through the courts when he was committed to stand trial.

ACT Policing has previously said officers were called to a home in Kambah at about 1:30 am on 22 January 2022 after reports of a disturbance, where they found 68-year-old Douglas Arthur Creek with head injuries.

He was taken to hospital, but checked himself out at about 12:25 pm that same day and neighbours saw him alive at home that afternoon.

However, police were told he could not be contacted at about 11:30 am on January 23. They found him dead inside the home.

Grant Allen Q Oldfield, 50, was arrested and had already pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Creek before he appeared over the phone in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (18 May).

The court heard the case was ready to be committed to the higher court, but when Mr Oldfield’s lawyer Taden Kelliher of Tim Sharman Solicitors asked for the next date of the case to be in June, his client spoke up.

“Aw man, this just keeps dragging on,” he said.

He also interrupted proceedings when Magistrate Peter Morrison was explaining the meaning of alibi evidence to him.

“Well, I turned up after the fact,” Mr Oldfield said.

Magistrate Morrison committed him to the Supreme Court for trial to appear before the court’s registrar for the first time on 2 June to begin organising a trial date and remanded him in custody.