Emily Woods, AAP
A man who allegedly set his neighbour on fire using a blowtorch over music being played loudly has been refused bail due to his risk to the public.
Michael Gauci is accused of pouring accelerant over a woman and setting her on fire in December last year, leaving her with burns to 70 per cent of her body.
He applied for bail last week in Melbourne Magistrates Court after being charged with attempted murder, intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury and conduct endangering life.
Police allege his wife asked neighbours to turn down the music they were playing in a Werribee South townhouse courtyard, shortly before midnight on December 27.
Gauci is accused of returning home, appearing over a fence and challenging the neighbours to fight in the street, before allegedly setting the woman on fire in a driveway.
In an earlier hearing, Detective Senior Constable Matthew 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.
She was given a 30 per cent chance of survival and spent seven months in hospital before being taken to a rehabilitation facility for another two months, the court was told.
Two of her friends also suffered burns requiring medical intervention.
Gauci’s lawyer claimed he may have been acting in self-defence, and said his client should not have to wait behind bars for more than two years awaiting a trial.
He said Gauci had a number of medical and psychological issues that needed to be addressed, and his parents had offered a $1 million surety if he was granted bail.
However, Magistrate Jarrod Williams refused the bail application on Monday, finding Gauci was a risk to the public after police found a sawn-off shotgun in his car.
“The risk of endangering the public is a real risk,“ he said.
Gauci, who appeared via videolink from prison, remains behind bars and will face a committal hearing in March next year.
