A Melbourne mechanic has faced court accused of setting a neighbour on fire following a “common noise dispute”.
Michael Gauci, 44, returned before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon for a bail application, which was opposed by police who claimed he was an “unacceptable risk”.
A number of family and friends were present in court to support him, including his parents Maurice and Antonia Gauci who offered to put up their family home as surety.
Detailing the allegations of “extreme violence”, Detective Senior Constable Matthew Wick said Mr Gauci, who owns and runs an auto shop and wreckers in Werribee South, allegedly doused his neighbour in accelerant before setting her alight following an argument over “loud music”.
Detective Wick said the woman, a 32-year-old from New Zealand, was with a few friends in her backyard on December 27 “drinking, playing music and singing along”.
Mr Gauci was allegedly out at a car meet-up when he received a text message from his wife at 11.42pm saying the neighbours were being annoying.
“Hang over the fence and tell them you have small children trying to sleep,” he allegedly responded.
Detective Wick said police allege the group complied and turned down their music but argued with Mr Gauci’s wife about 10 minutes later when she “yelled at the group again to be quiet”.
He said the group allegedly left the property, going down to the nearby beach, but returned to the backyard about 1am to 1.30am.
CCTV footage from Mr Gauci’s home, Detective Wick said, allegedly showed him pick up a blow torch at 1.48am before his wife turns off the system.
Two minutes later, police allege Mr Gauci challenged the woman to fight him or his wife outside the house.
Detective Wick said she accepted but was allegedly doused by Mr Gauci with about one litre of “what smelt like petrol” and set on fire.
He told the court the woman suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body and was given a 30 per cent chance of survival.
Detective Wick said Mr Gauci allegedly drove his family to the local police station where he handed himself in and provided a “no comment” interview.
He was charged with attempted murder, alongside alternative charges including reckless conduct endangering death and intentionally causing serious injury.
She spent more than seven months in hospital before being released to family in NSW and will require multiple surgeries over the next 12 to 24 months.
Opposing bail, Detective Wick said Mr Gauci allegedly planned, instigated and carried out an act of extreme violence in response to a minor disagreement about noise, raising concern of “further extreme reactions”.
He said Mr Gauci was a respected member of the local community and police held concerns he would try to interfere with witnesses.
Mr Gauci’s lawyer, Dr Gideon Boas, argued his client simply wanted to get on with his life after 11 months in custody, fight the allegations and work to rebuild his business which was in “dire straits”.
He told the court “elements” of the prosecution case would be disputed, including the “nature of the interaction” and how the woman came to be alight.
“One can look at it as (allegedly) being a moment of madness or pre-planned … it’s all very dangerous because it’s all speculative,” he said.
“Your Honour has one version of events … that’s the danger of taking that as evidence, there’s triable issues.”
Magistrate Jarrod Williams adjourned his decision, saying he needed time to consider the matter.
Mr Gauci will return to court next week for a ruling on his bail application.
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