The woman had been giving evidence in the Melbourne plea hearing of 43-year-old Eppalock man Jarrod Leonard Frank.

But the court was vacated shortly after 11am on Tuesday after the woman collapsed while in the dock.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed police were preparing a report for the coroner after a woman died on William Street in Melbourne.

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Her death was not being treated as suspicious, the spokesperson said.

Frank was appearing in the County Court to plead guilty to charges of aggravated burglary, assault, and attempted theft.

The charges stemmed from an incident at his associate's property in Longlea on the morning of January 30, 2020.

The court heard Frank broke in through the front door of the home while his associate's friend was on the phone to 000.

The victim was sleeping in his bedroom when Frank entered with a kitchen knife.

Frank demanded drugs and money, before punching the victim to the right side of the forehead.

The man tried to punch Frank back and the pair struggled before falling to the floor.

Frank produced the kitchen knife and again demanded money.

The court heard the victim told Frank he had left his wallet in his car and Frank followed the man outside.

When the victim could not find his wallet, the pair returned inside and sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table.

Police arrived shortly after and arrested Frank. They found the knife on the kitchen table where the pair were sitting.

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Frank was taken to the Bendigo Police Station for questioning and he made a no-comment interview.

The 43-year-old had been on bail at the time of the offending, after he was committed to stand trial for the 2018 murder of Scott Bury.

Frank was found not guilty on charges of murder and manslaughter in January this year.

Defence counsel Glenn Cooper told the court the murder trial proceedings had put pressure on Frank and the 43-year-old had relapsed into drug use.

Mr Cooper said the January 2020 offending appeared to be motivated by Frank's drug habit and his desire to obtain more illicit substances.

The defence counsel conceded the offending was serious as Frank had forced his way inside the property with a weapon.

But Mr Cooper said Frank did not injure the victim or attempt to disguise himself.

Judge Felicity Hampel said the offending "seemed bizarre" as Frank had been awaiting trial for a serious stabbing incident.

Judge Hampel said she thought Frank would have been less likely to take risks at that point given the state of his court proceedings.

The case was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed. Frank's bail was fixed until his next County Court hearing.

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