Melbourne mother in court for car deaths

Akon Guode at the funeral of her children Bol, Hanger and Madit. Photo / Getty Images

Murder charges follow Aussie lake tragedy where three of woman’s children died

A Melbourne mother accused of murdering three of her children is devastated by what has happened, a court has been told.

Police allege Akon Guode, 36, murdered 1-year-old Bol, his 4-year-old sister Hanger and her twin brother Madit when her car ploughed off a road and into Lake Gladman four months ago.

The Wyndham Vale woman looked blankly ahead when she appeared in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court yesterday charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

"She says, as a loving mother, she is devastated by what has happened," Guode's lawyer George Zolis told magistrate Frank Jones. "She asked me to tell Your Honour that."

Guode and her daughter Aluel, who was 5 at the time, survived after being pulled from the water after the crash on April 8 this year.

Several family members, including a man understood to be the father of the dead children, packed the court for Guode's brief filing hearing.

She was remanded in custody to reappear on December 8.

Prosecutor Tim Bourbon told the court CCTV footage had captured the street near the incident, and "certain things", such as driving.

Zolis asked that Guode be kept in protective custody, in light of the allegations against her, and asked that she get professional cost support.

"The enormity of the charges and the inability to see her children will have a substantial effect on her," he said.

"She has never been incarcerated before, she's never been in trouble in her lifetime."

Outside court, and flanked by the family, Zolis reiterated how devastated Guode was.

"She wanted me to tell people, especially her family and the family of her children, that it has been an extremely, extremely painful experience," he said.

Zolis said it was too early to give any indication of a plea, and bail would have to be looked at.

He said the father of Guode's dead children was "holding up".

"It's been a traumatic situation for him," Zolis said.

"What I can say is, he supports Akon."

Zolis said Guode's family and friends loved and respected her.

"I believe there were even more people that wanted to come along today."

- AAP