Karen Sweeney, AAP
A man accused of pouring accelerant over a woman and setting her on fire with a blowtorch allegedly did so because neighbours were playing music too loudly.
In a bail application, Michael Gauci’s lawyer suggested the incident may have been an act of self-defence.
Gauci’s wife had allegedly confronted the neighbours shortly before midnight on December 27 last year, asking them to turn down the music they were playing in a townhouse courtyard backing onto their Werribee South property.
The group left and headed to the beach a short time later, but when they returned the music was put back on, prosecutors told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.
By that time Gauci had returned home, and power to his home CCTV system had been turned off – at first for 30 minutes when a blow torch and knife were placed on the kitchen bench – and again at 2am.
Gauci allegedly appeared over the fence and confronted the neighbours about who had spoken to his wife earlier.
When the alleged victim indicated it was her, Gauci challenged her to come and fight his wife in the street, Detective Senior Constable Matthew Wick said.
The group met in the driveway where there was a physical altercation between the women, before Gauci allegedly threw a litre of PrepWash – a petroleum distillate – over the other woman.
Det Wick said Gauci ignited a blowtorch and the woman caught fire, with her whole upper body going up in flames.
She screamed and fell to the ground while her friends and housemates rushed to try and suppress the flames.
The woman suffered total thickness burns to 70 per cent of her body, including her face, chest, upper limbs and was given a 30 per cent chance of survival.
She spent seven months in hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility for two months, and still visits hospital three times a week for physiotherapy and speech therapy on top of in-home care twice a week.
Multiple surgeries are needed over the next year or two to increase her range of motion, with cosmetic surgeries to follow to repair scar tissue.
Two of her friends also suffered burns requiring medical intervention.
Gauci is charged with attempted murder, intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury and conduct endangering life.
Det Wick said Gauci’s wife had called triple zero and gave their address, before Gauci told her to hang up.
The couple and their two children then got in their car and drove away before emergency services arrived at the scene.
Police dispatched to the scene followed the vehicle to Werribee Police Station, where Gauci’s lawyer Gideon Boas said he effectively handed himself in.
A sawn-off .22 calibre shotgun was found in his car.
Magistrate Jarrod Williams said while Gauci had driven to the police station, it wasn’t clear that was his intention when he left home.
“No, but he did go there,” Dr Boas said.
Despite police concerns Gauci posed an ongoing risk to the community or might contact witnesses for the prosecution, Dr Boas suggested Gauci met the bail threshold.
He said reasons including a potential two-and-a-half year delay until any trial, and the fact he has a number of medical and psychological issues that still need to be addressed.
Mr Williams raised concerns about a finding he is experiencing mood swings, noting the case against him allegedly involved someone “completely blindsided by anger and completely unable to control their desire for some sort of retribution”.
Gauci’s parents have offered their family home as a surety if he is granted bail.
Mr Williams will hand down his decision next Monday.
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