A man from a tiny north Victorian town was on bail for aggravated burglary and a serious assault on his elderly father when he stole a motorbike on September 14, a Bendigo court has heard.
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He also faces charges for theft of a vehicle, unlicensed driving and several contraventions of an intervention order.
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The man is now in custody until a committal mention in November after having his bail revoked, although he protested to the court that he can not sit in the cells as it causes "too much pain".
Man in "too much pain" with crash injuries
The man sustained broken ribs, a broken arm and collarbone and a back injury after he crashed the stolen motorbike into a tree.
The accused had allegedly approached the bike's owner wanting money the day before the theft, and the court heard beer was also stolen.
Another member of the public then alerted the owner that the man was at his address with multiple injuries after crashing the bike at a speed of around 70km/h to 80km/h.
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Police attended and detained him, discovering he was unlicensed at the time. He was taken to hospital and placed on instant summons.
A search failed to locate the motorbike.
Mental health assessment needed for accused
Police told the court the man, who requires an urgent mental health assessment, told them "what if we find it (the motorbike), all your dreams will come true".
After being released the man then broke an intervention order three times by twice attending his father's address before calling his mother who, unknown to him, was a patient in hospital.
The court heard he told her, "Please mum, I have a broken arm, I'm homeless".
The court heard the man is suffering from "some level of delusion" and had faced "a rocky road", including being evicted and the death of his employer.
The court heard these breaches were the first time in nine months he had broken the orders and he had no criminal history.
Police officer tried to help vulnerable offender
The one police officer in the town had tried to connect him with financial supports through Centrelink but the court heard it was unclear if the man had any funds.
The court heard a suggestion from his defence team that he should be banned from his remote town if it would comfort his family, but Magistrate Russell Kelly instead decided to keep him in prison for fear of him re-offending.
Magistrate Kelly told the defence "it's not a desert up there" but the man's lawyer maintained he had difficulty accessing services and his behaviour had escalated.
A police informant said he had also been driving erratically and he had stolen a TV.
She called him "a risk to himself, his family and community".
"His behaviour and mental health still needs to be addressed," the officer said.
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
