A man who allegedly held a metal bar while demanding money from a petrol station customer in Shepparton on April 29 was on bail for an alleged sexual assault of a Cobram woman in her home last year.
Shaquel Thorpe, 22, of Shepparton, unsuccessfully applied for bail in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, May 2.
He is charged with attempted armed robbery, assault with a weapon and assault over the alleged April 29 service station incident.
Charges for the Cobram incident in November last year are aggravated burglary, sexual assault, possessing a controlled weapon and possessing cannabis.
Shepparton Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Andrew Costello told the court Mr Thorpe allegedly went to a Cobram home shortly after 2am on November 23 last year, stripped naked and climbed into bed with a woman who was sleeping there.
The woman woke to find a person touching her buttocks and attempting to lift her leg, before saying he had money and wanted sex, Det Sen Constable Costello said.
Realising it was not her husband returning home, the woman told the man to leave, but he continued to say “I have lots of money” and began throwing $50 notes towards her after she got out of the bed, Det Sen Constable Costello said.
When interviewed by police, Mr Thorpe said he had simply gone to the wrong place.
He told police he undressed and got into the bed but didn’t touch the woman, Det Sen Constable Costello said.
He also denied offering the woman money for sex, but said, “but who knows, I was wasted last night”, the officer said.
Det Sen Constable Costello said the woman told him recently she had little sleep when her husband was working night shift now as she was worried it would happen again.
The officer said Mr Thorpe was released on bail after that alleged incident, but had only attended one of his Court Integrated Services Program appointments he had to attend.
Det Sen Constable Costello said in the April 29 incident, Mr Thorpe had allegedly tried to rob a truck driver at Liberty Service Station in Benalla Rd shortly before 1.30am.
The court heard the truck driver had filled up with petrol at the service station and when he returned to his truck after paying, Mr Thorpe allegedly demanded “just give me your wallet, just give me some money” while holding a metal bar.
The court was told the truck driver kicked the man in the chest and the pair wrestled for about 30 seconds before the man left.
The court was shown CCTV of the alleged attack, as well as footage of the man inside the service station about five minutes earlier trying to buy five packets of cigarettes but his card had declined on the EFTPOS machine.
Police arrested Mr Thorpe on Wednesday and Det Sen Constable Costello told the court Mr Thorpe had told a fellow officer “he had committed the robbery because he just wanted some smokes”.
Det Sen Constable Costello opposed bail saying Mr Thorpe was a risk to the community.
He said both alleged crimes were “high-impact and high harm” events, with both having “high psychological harm” on the victims.
He said both incidents showed planning had been involved.
Det Sen Constable Costello also told the court he had spoken to Mr Thorpe’s mother who said that while he was her son, and she loved him, he was a liability to the community and she thought he would offend again.
Mr Thorpe’s defence counsel asked for bail for her client, citing his young age, the fact he was a First Nations person, that he had no prior convictions in court, and that family and other supports were available to him.
She also said there were “triable issues” about the use of a weapon in the alleged armed robbery.
She also said Mr Thorpe was at risk of being held on remand longer than any sentence he would be given if found guilty.
Magistrate Amina Bhai refused bail, saying that while exceptional circumstances were made out by Mr Thorpe’s defence, there was an unacceptable risk to the community if he was released.