Matthew Massey granted bail in ACT Magistrates Court

Matthew James Massey was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 47-year-old pleaded not guilty to driving a motor vehicle without consent and driving while disqualified.

Court documents show Massey had only been out of jail for two months, having been granted parole in February after serving the majority of a custodial sentence for burglary and assault.

Massey left a friend with a punctured abdomen when he committed those crimes, which were described as "a serious attack on the civility and peace of the community", in 2020.

One of Massey's parole conditions was a curfew, which required him to be home between 9pm and 6am.

He breached that condition at about 12.30am on April 15, when police saw him get out of a Kia Sportage and enter a Braddon service station.

Court documents allege Massey told police officers he was aware of his curfew but was "starving".

A short time later, police at the scene became aware the Kia, a rental car, had been reported as stolen.

Police searched Massey and found a key for the car in his pocket, but he denied being the driver.

On Thursday, defence lawyer Tom Taylor told the court the driving while disqualified charge was "doomed to fail".

Mr Taylor argued a previous licence disqualification had expired.

He said evidence surrounding accusations Massey was driving a stolen vehicle were "circumstantial" as the lease agreement for the car was in another person's name.

"All there is, is evidence of my client getting out of the driver's seat of a stationary car," Mr Taylor said.

"There are, actually, no observations of him driving the car.

"This is a very defendable matter."

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Mr Taylor told the court Massey had, "for the first time in his life", secured a lease for his own apartment in Braddon.

The lawyer argued that while his client has a criminal record that "goes against him", there was a "lack of information" about multiple arrest warrants issued in the past.

Mr Taylor said Massey's decision visit to the petrol station had been motivated by the need to eat, not by illicit drug use.

Prosecutor Hannah Lee opposed granting Massey bail.

She said Massey had allegedly committed fresh offences while on parole, the terms of which were more strict than any bail conditions that could be imposed.

"There are still investigations to be done," Ms Lee said.

Magistrate Ken Archer said Massey's "reputation always proceeds him".

"It's become almost a meme that Mr Massey is before the court again," he said.

"I'm no fool."

Mr Archer ultimately granted Massey bail, saying it was the role of the parole board to determine if he would remain behind bars.

"The community, in a very significant capacity, is set to benefit if Mr Massey lives a law-abiding life," Mr Archer said.

He said this wasn't a "typical" stolen car situation, "its a hire car that's kept beyond the hire period, allegedly."

Upon granting Massey bail, the magistrate spoke directly to the well-known offender.

"You're an older man now," Mr Archer said.

"Your time has come, probably."

However, Massey's moment of freedom may have been short-lived, with a review of his parole scheduled less than an hour later.

He was due to face the Sentence Administration Board on Thursday afternoon for parole breach proceedings.

These proceedings are closed to members of the public, including the media.

Massey is set to appear in court again on June 29.

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