Richard Marshall 'too ill' to face buggery charges
A FORMER children's television entertainer is too ill to face court on charges including buggery and rape, his lawyer said.
Richard Marshall is bedridden with dementia and Parkinson's disease, his lawyer Greg Mead told the South Australian District Court today.
Marshall, 80, has been charged with 10 counts of buggery, two counts of indecent assault, and rape and unlawful sexual intercourse.
The offences allegedly occurred between 1971 and 1977, when Marshall was a prominent children's entertainer on Adelaide television and director of the Cottage Theatre company.
Marshall was to have entered pleas to the charges today but was absent from court.
"He's not physically or mentally fit enough to attend court and that situation won't change," Mr Mead told the court.
Marshall's lawyers will seek further medical evidence to present to the court at a later date.