Murder charge

A BENDIGO man has been remanded in custody charged with the stabbing death of Golden Square man John Desmond Harris at the weekend.Homicide squad detectives formally charged David Frank Tate, 33, of Kangaroo Flat withone count of murder late on Monday night.Tate appeared before an out-of-sessions hearing during the night and was remanded in custody before briefly appearing in the Bendigo Magistratescourt yesterday morning.He was not required to enter a plea and made no application for bail.Magistrate William Gibb remanded him to appear in the same court on September 29 for a committal mention.During the file hearing, defence lawyer Luke Docherty told the court that Tate had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that his condition would need to be monitored while he was in custody. Mr Docherty also said Tate was likely to suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the coming days.Ambulance crews were called to a home in Rio Court, Kangaroo Flat, about 8.15pm on Sunday, where they found the 56-year-old man suffering a suspected stab wound to the chest. The paramedics tried for more than 30 minutes to revive him, but the man died at the scene.Rio Court is a quiet cul-de-sac located off Crusoe Road and it is believed that Tate, Harris and a female friend had been drinking at the woman’s house during the day.It is believed the assault occurred while the three were having dinner. A 29-year-old woman was questioned by by police following the stabbing, but has since been released without charge.