Alex Ophel pleads not guilty to ANU stabbings, issue at trial to be mental impairment

Alex Leonard Ophel, 25, pictured in a screenshot. He has entered not guilty pleas to his charges. Photo: YouTube.

The man accused of trying to kill two women at the Australian National University has formally pleaded not guilty, while the court heard the issue at his trial would be one of mental impairment.

Alex Leonard Ophel is accused of stabbing two women and assaulting two men at the university on 18 September 2023.

The women needed to be taken to hospital, one with critical injuries.

Ophel, now aged 25, appeared in the ACT Supreme Court in person on Wednesday (4 September).

He answered “not guilty” when he was read out two counts of attempted murder and two counts of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm in the alternative over his alleged attacks on the two women.

His lawyer, Tim Sharman, said the issue at trial would be one of mental impairment. This would mean that defence lawyers would argue that he was not criminally responsible for his alleged actions.

Mr Sharman said he was still waiting to receive a full report on this issue and requested an adjournment as he hoped to soon obtain it and provide it to prosecutors.

He said his representations to prosecutors would be that the matter could be dealt with as “a consent judgement”.

The matter was adjourned to 11 September.

Ophel, who was committed to the Supreme Court earlier this year, remains in custody.