Uncle accused of murdering Chinese student in Australia to plead not guilty

SYDNEY - The 27-year-old uncle of Chinese student Mengmei Leng who is accused of her murder will plead not guilty, the ABC reported on Wednesday.

Australian authorities arrested and charged Derek Barret last week in connection with her murder.

Derek Barrett's lawyer Bill Whitby attended a brief hearing at a Sydney court on Wednesday where he told reporters his client was not finding conditions at the Sydney police centre "particularly attractive".

"It's a terrible place to be incarcerated and I can only hope he'll be moved in the very near future and I'll be making a bail application in the not distant future," Whitby said.

"Obviously he's very upset, shocked."

Leng, a Chengdu native, had been in Australia for over five years and recently graduated from the University of Technology Sydney while living with her uncle, aunt and cousin in western Sydney.

Last week, Leng's body was discovered floating face down by a tourist at a popular "blow hole" on the New South Wales state central coast.

It's believed she had been stabbed multiple times in the neck.

A spokesman for the Leng family said Leng's mother would address the media on Thursday regarding the matter.

Barret was not required to appear in court today and will reappear on June 29.