The judge in charge of the Claremont serial killer case has ruled there should be just one trial to decide accused Bradley Robert Edwards’ guilt on all charges – but his lawyers have seven days to appeal that decision if they wish.

Justice Stephen Hall today handed down his rulings into the admissibility of propensity evidence that the prosecutor wanted to bring against Mr Edwards, and on a defence application to split the trial to hear some charges separately.

Justice Hall today ruled that only one trial should be held starting on July 22, whilst also ruling that graphic and violent porn found on Mr Edwards computers during his dramatic arrest in late 2016 should not be part of the evidence to be led at trial, which is due to start being heard on July 22.

It was also revealed that 580 prosecution witnesses are anticipated to make up the nine-month trial.

In his ruling, Justice Hall said the so-called Huntingdale Prowler evidence – which detailed a series of bizarre sightings of a man breaking into houses and stealing women’s clothing close to where Mr Edwards lived in Huntingdale – would be admissible in relation to the allegations that he subsequently attacked a young girl in a house in the same area.

However, that evidence will not be admissible in relation to the allegations that he murdered Sarah Spiers, Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer several years later.

The facts of that alleged Huntingdale attack will be admissible in the murder charges.

The evidence about Mr Edwards previously attacking a woman at Hollywood hospital in 1990 – a crime he admitted – will be included in the vast evidentiary brief.

And the evidence labelled the Telstra Living Witness evidence – which details five occasions where a man driving a Telstra vehicle stopped to pick up lone women in the Claremont area in 1995 and 1996 - will also be led in the murder charges, but not the Huntingdale offence.

The evidence surrounding Mr Edwards final charge – that he raped a woman in Karrakatta cemetery after grabbing her off the street in Claremont – is admissible to all the charges, Justice Hall ruled.

But the pornography – which was said to include violent “snuff rape” film called “Forced Entry”, and stories said to have eerie similarities to at least one of the alleged crimes - will not be included in the trial at all, after the judge ruled it was not sufficiently relevant.