The mother-in-law of an alleged bikie gang associate has put $10,000 on the line to help the man, who is accused of attacking another man in a Moncrieff home, secure bail at the third attempt.
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Atunaisa Folauhola, 22, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday. He has previously said he would plead not guilty to charges including aggravated burglary, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, theft and property damage.
In documents tendered to the court, police allege that Mr Folauhola forced his way into a Moncrieff home through the garage on December 7 last year, while the alleged victim tried to hold the door closed.
Mr Folauhola is accused of punching the man in the face as the man tried to run, telling him: "I want my keys, I want my belongings".
The man pretended he did not have any of Mr Folauhola's belongings, according to police, but Mr Folauhola kept hitting him so he eventually got keys from a drawer and handed them over.
Mr Folauhola allegedly told the man to sign over his vehicles, and punched him again when the man refused.
Court documents say a co-offender who entered the house at some point also landed blows.
Mr Folauhola allegedly smashed a television and laptops belonging to the man, before going into the bedrooms while the co-offender stayed with the man.
The man managed to escape the home through the front door, according to police, despite the co-offender trying to pull him back inside.
The man later told police he was hit up to 20 times, and that he would need surgery to repair facial injuries including a broken nose, fractured eye socket and loose teeth. He also told officers a phone, bum bag, house keys and car keys had been stolen during the incident.
Together with the man's statement, the case against Mr Folauhola includes CCTV footage from the man's home security system.
In the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Mr Folauhola applied for bail and was required to show a change in circumstances given he had previously made two unsuccessful bids for release.
His lawyer, Jacob Robertson, said Mr Folauhola's mother-in-law was now willing to provide a $10,000 surety to secure bail, and that he could no longer receive visitors at the Alexander Maconochie Centre because a ban imposed to limit the risk of coronavirus infection.
Mr Robertson said it was likely the case would head to the ACT Supreme Court for trial.
He said there were "always two sides to every story", and that there was a background to the alleged offending that was not covered in the evidence put forward by police.
Mr Robertson said the alleged victim's credibility would be called into question.
He also said there had been no suggestion that Mr Folauhola had attempted to contact the man in the more than three months since the alleged incident, including in the initial six weeks before Mr Folauhola was arrested and remanded in custody.
Mr Robertson said this should address prosecutor Bradley Ricabo's concerns that there was a risk of Mr Folauhola endangering the alleged victim's safety and welfare if granted bail.
Mr Ricabo said he also opposed bail because of the risk Mr Folauhola would commit offences if released.
The prosecutor said that for a young man, Mr Folauhola had a troubling history of violence, as well as links to outlaw motorcycle gang activity.
Mr Ricabo described the case against Mr Folauhola as one where the man had "taken the law into his own hands" to commit a serious, unprovoked assault.
Magistrate Louise Taylor said while she was concerned about Mr Folauhola's history, she would grant bail.
Ms Taylor said Mr Folauhola had strong family support and an incentive to comply with conditions given that his mother-in-law was providing a $10,000 surety that she would lose if he breached bail.
The magistrate imposed conditions including that Mr Folauhola live at a Monash address and only leave in the company of his mother-in-law or for work.
Mr Folauhola was also banned from contacting or being within 100 metres of the alleged victim or a man suspected to be the co-offender, who the court heard has not been charged.
"If there is a sniff of you contacting [the alleged victim], you will be in significant bother," Ms Taylor warned Mr Folauhola.
The case is expected to return to court on April 7.
