An 88-year-old man accused of trying to shoot dead a sex worker at a Melbourne brothel, before shooting himself in the stomach during his arrest, will face a pre-trial hearing in May.
Domenico Natale was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to shoot the woman at the Romantics adult business at Brunswick last July. She was uninjured.
Natale shot himself in the stomach during his arrest on July 21 after the incident.
He faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday where lawyers set a date for a committal hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.
The court was previously told Natale may have been seduced by the sex worker through her text messages before the incident.
"There's an element of seduction on the part of the sex worker," defence lawyer John O'Sullivan said at an earlier hearing.
A forensic psychiatrist has cleared the 88-year-old of mental impairment and fitness-to-plead issues.
Natale, who is on bail, is due to return to court for the committal hearing on May 22.
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Australian Associated Press