3 Nov 2012

Nurse pleads not guilty to murder

12:02 pm on 3 November 2012

A nurse has pleaded not guilty to murdering 11 elderly residents by setting fire to a Sydney nursing home.

Roger Dean, 36, appeared before the New South Wales Supreme Court on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to the murder of the elderly residents of Quakers Hill Nursing Home, where he worked as a nurse.

Three elderly residents died during the inferno and a further eight died from injuries afterwards, AAP reports.

Dean also pleaded not guilty to eight charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to a further eight residents.

The court was told Dean had previously agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter but this was rejected by the crown.

Justice Megan Latham committed Dean to stand trial on 27 May next year.