Jill Meagher's depraved killer sues legal aid service for refusing to fund his appeal

• e-mail

Notorious rapist and killer Adrian Bayley is challenging a decision by a legal aid organisation to deny him funding to appeal two rape convictions.

Bayley's lawyer Saul Holt told the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday that it was likely the two appeals would succeed, and his client should be given legal aid.

The weakness in the prosecution case against Bayley left open the likelihood that someone else committed the offences, Mr Holt said.

Scroll down for video  

Jill Meagher, 29, was raped and murdered when she walked home from a pub in Brunswick, in inner Melbourne, in September 2012

Adrian Bayley, 44, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 for murdering Ms Meagher

'Verdicts in those trials were unreasonable and cannot be supported,' he told the court.

Bayley, 44, launched legal action against Victorian Legal Aid (VLA) after the organisation refused to fund his appeal.

The former pastry chef is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 of murdering ABC employee Jill Meagher.

Earlier this year, Bayley was found guilty of raping another three women and had his non-parole period increased from 35 to 43 years, the ABC reported.

Ms Meagher was an ABC employee who was from Ireland. She had been raped before she was murdered

The three other women were a Dutch tourist raped in 2012 and two prostitutes - one in 2012 and another about 15 years ago. Bayley wants to appeal two of the convictions.

The 44-year-old had been on parole when he raped and killed Ms Meagher, 29.

His legal team said VLA's refusal to fund his appeal was a breach of the charter of human rights.

Fiona McLeod, for Victorian Legal Aid, said the organisation was not obliged to fund a case just because it was deemed to have merit.

Bayley (centre) had his minimum jail term extended to 43 years after he was found guilty of raping another three women (stock image)

Its obligations were to provide legal aid in an effective, efficient and economic manner, she said.

'The Act provides for the decision maker to exercise broad discretionary power,' Ms McLeod told the hearing which is continuing. 

Ms Meagher, who was from Ireland, was raped and murdered when she walked home from a pub in Brunswick, an inner Melbourne suburb, in September 2012.

The local community in Brunswick came together to pay tribute to Ms Meagher after she was killed in 2012 (stock image)

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.