A NSW Supreme Court judge says she has "grave concerns" about the investigation into the alleged murder of Leisl Smith, who disappeared without a trace after leaving her home at Wallarah, on the Central Coast, in August 2012.
James Scott Church, now 51, on Monday pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Smith, who was 23 when she was last seen, and faced the first day of what is expected to be a lengthy judge-alone trial in Sydney Supreme Court. But the prosecution did not open their case and the evidence is not expected to commence for at least a week after delays in detectives serving the brief of evidence, the court heard.
