A Ballarat man is denying he entered a house and aimed a gun at another man during an alleged aggravated burglary.
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Brock Morgan, 37, is facing trial for two charges in the County Court including aggravated burglary and common assault from an incident in Alfredton on December 4, 2016.
The crown allege Morgan entered the house of the complainant, who was known to the accused man, aimed a sawn-off rifle at him and kicked at the man’s bedroom door when he attempted to hide.
During the trial, crown prosecutor Patrick Bourke said the complainant’s female partner and young children left the house about five minutes before Morgan arrived.
However, defence barrister David Gray said while his client does not dispute he was at the complainant’s premises at that time on that day, he claims he did not have a gun nor did he enter the house.
The alleged victim was the first witness to take the stand and told the jury how he was alone in his bedroom when he heard someone open the front door of his house.
"I heard my name, I said ‘yeah?’ and stood up and went to the door," he said.
"I popped my head around the corner and saw Mr Morgan, just inside the front door.
"Mr Morgan was holding up a sawn-off rifle and I slammed the bedroom door shut.
"I hit the ground and put my hands and feet against the door, I lay on my side on the ground in case he took a shot through the door and to block the door."
When questioned by Mr Gray about calling triple zero, hanging up and calling a mate before again calling tripe zero to report the incident, the alleged victim said he wasn’t sure what he was doing.
"I told (my mate) what happened and he said to ring the cops," he said.
"I was just panicking really, I rang my mate and asked what to do then called the cops.”
The friend of the victim and a fingerprint expert where also called to the stand to give evidence about the alleged attack.
The fingerprint expert, Lance Dorning, confirmed a palm print found on the door frame of the alleged victim’s bedroom matched the pattern of Morgan’s left hand.
Mr Dorning told the court he could not tell from the evidence he was supplied when the hand-print was made on the door frame.
"I'm not aware of any other information and I can't determine when it was put there," Mr Dorning said.
Mr Gray said his client entered the victim’s house to buy drugs a few weeks before but the victim claimed that “never happened”.
It was revealed in Morgan’s recorded police interview from December 7, 2016 when it was played to the court that he told police he had never entered the victim’s house before.
Mr Gray pointed out to the jury the alleged victim’s account of the incident was not consistent with the police informant’s notes taken on the day of the incident.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Steven Campbell said his notes may not be absolutely accurate and the victim had already given a formal statement to police when he arrived at the scene.
"That's what I recorded as an abbreviated version of what he told me," Detective Campbell said.
"What I write in my diary is an overview; it does not to facilitate a verbatim version of what every person tells me."
The trial will continue today under Judge Michael McInerney as barristers deliver closing arguments to the jury.