Murder charge laid after alleged supermarket assault

By Monique Preston

Aug 22, 2023

In court: A murder charge has been laid over the death of a man after an alleged assault in a Mooroopna supermarket. Photo by Rodney Braithewaite

A man has been charged with murder after an alleged assault in a Mooroopna supermarket in May.

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Matthew Atkinson, 19, of Shepparton, faced Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, August 22, where the charge of murder was first put before the courts.

Mooroopna man Bjorn Delphine, 46, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the alleged assault at Woolworths in Mooroopna on May 22.

Mr Delphine died in hospital on June 5.

Three days earlier, Mr Atkinson unsuccessfully applied for bail while charged with intentionally causing serious injury in circumstances of gross violence, intentionally causing serious injury, recklessly causing serious injury, assault, assault by kicking, trafficking cannabis, possessing cannabis and dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

On that occasion, the court heard that before the alleged assault, Mr Atkinson was yelling about an affair he believed the man to be in with an underage girl.

Shepparton Crime Investigation Unit’s Senior Constable Sarah Roberts told the court then that Mr Atkinson punched the victim to the head and body once before Mr Delphine fell to the ground.

It is alleged Mr Atkinson then stomped on the man’s head twice, rendering him unconscious, before he fled the store.

Tuesday’s court appearance only saw a legal argument from Mr Atkinson’s solicitor for some documents to be provided to her.