A man accused of punching his partner and failing to seek medical care before she died allegedly insisted she "wasn't dead" despite not waking, his mother told a court.

John Torney, 40, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday by video link for a committal hearing over the death of Emma Bates.

Ms Bates, 49, was found dead in her home at Cobram near the NSW-Victoria border on April 23, 2024.

Torney is charged with negligent manslaughter and other offences, which he denies.

Ms Bates lived next door to the Torney family and the accused's mother Belinda told the court her son was in a romantic relationship with her neighbour for about two weeks before Ms Bates' death.

She said Ms Bates had expressed romantic interest in the 40-year-old months before that but couldn't be sure when they

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