Two men accused of driving a seriously injured assault victim, who was blindfolded, 93 kilometres to Geelong while holding an axe to her head will front a committal hearing next year.
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Christopher Forster, 23, and Bryan Raymond Leigh, 24, allegedly dumped the 18-year-old victim at her mother’s Whittington house and did not help her out of the vehicle. They left before an ambulance arrived.
It is alleged Forster, who was on bail, drove the victim in a stolen Holden Colorado from Delacombe to Whittington, while Leigh held the axe to her head.
The frightening car trip on March 11, 2018, followed a series of alleged assaults on the victim at her defacto partner, Glen Anthony Leigh’s Delacombe house.
Police allege Bryan Leigh’s brother, Glen Leigh, used weapons to assault the victim causing extensive bruising, open wounds and fractures in February and March.
Glen Leigh allegedly assaulted the victim on March 10 by punching her in the face, smashing her head on a computer desk and choking her until she passed out while Forster and his partner, and Bryan Leigh allegedly looked on.
He then allegedly kicked the victim’s face, hit her legs up to 10 times with a blunt end of an axe and injected her with the drug ice.
Forster and the Leigh brothers appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday for a committal mention.
Their counsels applied for permission to cross-examine prosecution witnesses during the committal hearing.
The court was told five prosecution witnesses, including the victim, informant and paramedics, will give evidence at the two-day hearing.
At one point Forster, who was on a video link, interrupted his barrister and yelled out expletive words.
Magistrate Ron Saines said he held concerns about security when all three accused front court for the hearing.
The committal hearing will be held in January. It will determine if there is sufficient evidence to commit the accused to stand trial in the County Court.
