Court artist's impression of Robert Jeffrey. PICTURE: THE COURIER
MINUTES after a Ballarat North man was bashed in his own home, his partner called triple-zero and identified “Bob Jeffrey” as the perpetrator, a jury heard this morning.
A CD of the triple-zero call was played in the County Court in Ballarat earlier today, where Robert Wayne Jeffrey, 51, stands charged with offences including aggravated burglary and intentionally causing serious injury.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which relate to an alleged assault on Robert Linane about 4.30pm on March 6 last year.
The emergency call, made at 4.31pm on that date, was played to the jury in court.
In the call Mr Linane’s partner Leanne Lawson is heard saying “I can’t go back in the house because they’re coming back for me”, and that “Bob Jeffrey” and four other men had entered their home.
In her evidence last week, Ms Lawson claimed that Jeffrey and three other men had entered the couple’s Walker Street home on March 6, at which point she went out the front door and called triple-zero while the men went to find Mr Linane.
She said she could hear banging and screaming before the men left the house.
Mr Linane was airlifted to The Alfred hospital, where he spent more than three months recovering.
Defence lawyer Michael Pena-Rees also questioned the decision not to forensically analyse certain items of clothing seized following Jeffrey’s arrest last year.
But Detective Senior Constable Brett Tamblyn gave evidence saying it was not possible to analyse every exhibit, and that certain items were given priority.
“There are only so many scientists and they can’t process every exhibit,” he said.
Yesterday evidence was given that a small blood stain found on Jeffrey’s boot – which was seized shortly after the assault – was 33 billion times more likely to match Mr Linane’s DNA than a randomly selected Caucasian.
The trial before Judge Tony Howard continues.