By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man accused of maliciously dousing a Noble Park bedroom with petrol where his ex-partner was feeding their five-month daughter has been refused bail.
The 24-year-old Fitzroy man may have lit the fuel if police hadn’t intervened so promptly in the alleged aggravated burglary, informant Senior Constable Nicholas Wallace told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 8 May.
The mother and daughter were at significant risk of death or serious injury from a man found with a trafficable amount of heroin, he said.
The accused had arrived at the house at 11pm on 7 May wanting to talk about child custody arrangements, the court heard.
The mother told him to wait while she sought privacy to feed the daughter in a bedroom.
While the man waited, he allegedly became agitated. He then stared aggressively as he splashed petrol from a jerry can on the bedroom floor in front of the victims, the court was told.
About 3.30am, the man – who had been waiting outside the house – allegedly kicked the front door off its hinges, yelling threats and demanding to see his daughter.
Dandenong police arrested him allegedly in possession of cigarettes and a lighter a short time later.
Sen Const Wallace said the smell of petrol was strong throughout the house and Springvale CFA was asked to ventilate the fumes.
The jerry can of petrol was seized from the kitchen, and his bag with three grams of heroin, pseudoephedrine, a “white powder substance”, an allegedly stolen lap top, and Chinese driving licence was seized from the porch.
The man’s mobile phone had messages pertaining to drug dealing, Sen Const Wallace said.
The man, representing himself, told the court that he’d been keeping out of trouble for the past six years. “Or trying to,” he added.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen imposed a full interim intervention order forbidding any contact with the victims.
Mr Vandersteen said police seemed justified to say the man broke into the house with an intention to assault.
The risk of death or injury to the victims was too great to release the man on bail, he said.
“In that last instance, you spilt petrol everywhere and made threats to your ex-wife.
“Where there’s those type of threats, petrol spread everywhere, there’s nothing that could be said to justify granting you bail.”
He was remanded for a committal mention at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 1 August.
