Teen's accused killer 'punched PM'

The man accused of murdering teenager Masa Vukotic claims he once punched Tony Abbott in the face, according to a report.

Sean Christian Price, 31, is charged with murdering the 17-year-old schoolgirl as she walked through Koonung Creek Linear Reserve in Stanton Street near her home in Doncaster on Tuesday night.

Price told Fairfax in an interview just a week before his arrest that he was the man who hit Tony Abbott at Thomas Embling Hospital on February 22 2006 when the current Prime Minister was the federal Minister for Health.

"I hit him and he stepped back and shaped up like a boxer," he said.

"Then he dropped his hands and smiled, and said 'I've been hit harder than that on the football field'."

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said at the time it was "a matter of complete inconsequence", Fairfax reports.

"(The man) did take a swing. He did connect, but to say he punched him is overstating it," the spokesman said.

Price appeared relaxed behind glass in the dock of the Melbourne Magistrate's Court on Friday.

Just metres away from Price, the teenager's father sat in the gallery staring at his daughter's alleged killer throughout the five-minute hearing.

Price was also charged with rape, robbery and assault relating to an alleged crime spree just before he handed himself into Sunshine police station on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors said they needed to examine extensive amounts of CCTV footage through several suburbs taken over a week.

Price was not required to say anything before Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg and was remanded in custody until June 26.

It has also emerged Price has claimed he punched Tony Abbott in 2006 when the then Federal Health Minister toured the Thomas Embling psychiatric hospital in Fairfield.

Fairfax claims that in an interview with a reporter just one week before Masa's death, Mr Price claimed responsibility for the attack on Abbott in the hospital's acute care unit.

A psychiatric nurse who worked at the hospital at the time of the incident has apparently confirmed Mr Price's story.

Price previously appeared at an out-of-sessions court hearing on Thursday night, charged with one count of rape, two counts of robbery and three counts of assault over the alleged Thursday crime spree.

Police allege he assaulted a 26-year-old man on a footbridge at 10:00am before stealing his mobile phone.

It is alleged he then attempted unsuccessfully to carjack a vehicle belonging to a 77-year-old man on McCracken Street before fleeing on foot.

Price is then accused of going into a business on Harvester Road about 11.20am where he approached a woman and allegedly became violent before physically and sexually assaulting her.

Price wore a blue disposable jump suit, and had bare feet, as he was brought before bail justice Ben Czerniewicz.

The accused man was also handcuffed, and slouched in his seat.

"There are a total of seven charges against you, are you aware of the charges?" Mr Czerniewicz asked Price.

"Yeah," Price said.

When Mr Czerniewicz read out the accused man's date of birth, Price misheard it as a much earlier year.

"Are you a judge? I must look pretty good for my age," the accused man said.

Justice Czerniewicz said the existence of the murder charge made bail not an option, and he remanded Price to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

The murder of Ms Vukotic has shocked the Doncaster community, and many have placed flowers and messages of tribute and support for her family in the park where she died.

• Masa Vukotic stabbing: 'It could have been me'

• Man charged over schoolgirl's murder

News break – March 20