Mother on 4 murder charges

GEELONG - A woman from the Victorian city of Geelong has appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court charged with murdering four of her children.

Carol Louise Matthey, 25, was first interviewed by police in May last year over the deaths of four of her children between December 1998 and April 2003.

Her lawyer, Andrew McKinner, said his client was on medication for depression and asked for her to be placed in isolation for her safety.

A 7-month-old boy was found dead in his cot in December 1998 and a 9-week-old girl was found dead in her cot in November 2000. The coroner found both children had died from sudden infant death syndrome.

The family's 3-month-old boy collapsed in a carpark in July 2002 and was later diagnosed with a rare infection. The fourth death occurred the day after a 3-year-old girl allegedly fell off a table in April 2003. Matthey will return to court on May 19.

- AAP