Bayley to face Vic court ahead of schedule April 4, 2013 - 12:13PM The man accused of raping and murdering Melbourne woman Jill Meagher will appear in court on Friday, earlier than scheduled. Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, is alleged to have dragged the 29-year-old into a Brunswick laneway where he raped and strangled her in the early hours of September 22 last year, a court has previously heard. Bayley was committed to stand trial in the Victorian Supreme Court in September and was due to return to court on April 29 for pre-trial discussions. But he will now appear at court in person on Friday for an arraignment. An arraignment is the formal reading of the charges against an accused person, who then enters their plea of guilty or not guilty. The matter will be heard by Justice Geoffrey Nettle at 2.15pm (AEDT). Ms Meagher's body was found in a shallow grave at Gisborne South on the outskirts of Melbourne on September 28.