Chad Hardy: Australind NDIS house death accused’s case moved to Perth due to ‘seriousness’ of charges

The man accused of murdering his housemate in their NDIS-funded home has had his case moved to the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court. Chad Hardy, 33, appeared in court on Thursday morning from Bunbury Regional Prison when police confirmed the man’s charge had been upgraded from causing grievous bodily harm to murder. To reflect the seriousness of the charges, Magistrate Janelle Scutt made the decision to move the case to the Perth courtroom. Mr Hardy is accused of attacking his 40-year-old housemate in Australind on Friday afternoon, leaving the other man in a critical condition and needing to be flown to Royal Perth Hospital. He later died on Tuesday in an intensive care unit. Both men were NDIS recipients and St Jude’s Disability Services managed the house they resided in. A statement by St Jude’s said the company was assisting police with the matter and was proud of their staff’s response. “We regret to confirm that a resident living in one of St Jude’s homes passed away on Tuesday, 24th October after an incident involving another NDIS participant late last week,” it said. “First and foremost our thoughts go to the family and friends of the individual involved, and to our employees impacted both directly and indirectly. “We will continue to assist WA Police, and work closely with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission investigation. “St Jude’s is incredibly proud of the way the staff involved in this dreadful situation handled themselves. They responded quickly and with presence of mind, alerting the police who were then able to contain the situation.” Mr Hardy will next face court on November 22.