A Jewish man who allegedly murdered his grandmother in her Bondi unit was affected by weight-loss drug Ozempic, his lawyer has told a court.
Sergei Mitnik, 47, is accused of fatally stabbing and strangling Valentina Spivak, 90, on Saturday night, before calling Triple-Zero to ask for help “having a body removed”.
NSW Police allege Mr Mitnik was estranged from his grandmother, but had two recent phone calls with her about a Jewish holiday during which Ms Spivak usually gives money to her relatives, The Daily Telegraph reported.
According to court documents, Mr Mitnik turned up at Ms Spivak’s home on Chambers St, stayed for an hour, and then called emergency services asking for help with the body, telling the operator the elderly woman was “being not compliant and unfortunately I have to get an ambulance here”.
Police will allege Ms Spivak was stabbed 19 times, and a knife was found near her body, the court documents stated.
Mr Mitnik appeared in bail court on Sunday where solicitor Javid Faiz said his client needed to be assessed by a psychiatrist “as soon as possible” due to two “concerns”.
“One, he had an appointment with a psychologist about a month ago which was cancelled,” Mr Faiz told the court.
“The second relevant factor, your honour, is that he is currently taking Ozempic … he said to me that Ozempic had an effect on him, as a result of the medication.”
Mr Mitnik was remanded in custody to face court again in Thursday, and the judge ordered he undergo a mental health assessment, but did not have him transferred into a mental health facility.
Neighbours told 9News Ms Spivak was a “gentle soul”.
“Definitely nothing bad to say about her to be honest, she was a nice woman,” one neighbour said.
“She was always listening to this old Russian opera, you could really hear it in the hall,” said another.
Header image: Left, Valentina Spivak (Facebook). Right, Mr Mitnik being arrested (9News).
