A 24-year-old man released from prison weeks before he allegedly went on a seven-month crime spree of burglaries, car thefts and an aggravated home invasion has been denied bail for a second time.
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Police allege Bryce Ferry was involved in nine burglaries, four car thefts and an aggravated home invasion across the region including Ballan, Bacchus Marsh and Myrniong from February to September, 2019.
He was released from prison on January 9, 2019, and allegedly started his crime spree on February 19, 2019.
He is accused of burgling the Ballan IGA supermarket on August 17. A loaded sawn-off semi-automatic firearm was allegedly sitting in the Audi vehicle used in the burglary and police say this firearm and vehicle has been forensically linked to Ferry.
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The court was told in another incident at 2.30am on August 27, Ferry was allegedly involved in an aggravated burglary at a Maddingley home where a gun was pointed at the owner. Police allege the gun was the same one that was in the Audi.
Police allege a blue hatch back vehicle used in the aggravated home invasion belonged to Ferry's girlfriend's mother and was found in a shed where he was living.
In another incident, Ferry allegedly rode a motorbike at a fast rate of speed while he was on methamphetamine.
Ferry was arrested on August 31 and was refused bail on May 7 at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court.
He returned to court via a video link from prison on Friday to apply for bail under new facts and circumstances.
The Office of Public Prosecutions opposed Ferry's application on the basis of an unacceptable risk of endangering the public and committing further offences.
The court was told Ferry had a significant criminal history of burglaries, thefts and robberies, and he had spent only 117 days out of prison in the community over the past five years.
Defence barrister Martin Kozlowski said Ferry had a booking at a Shepparton rehabilitation facility for 16 weeks or until his trial date, which was costing his family $5500.
He said Ferry had been in custody for 11 months, there would be a delay in the case proceeding to trial and he had been impacted by the prison's COVID-19 restrictions.
"There are issues to be trialled in this matter and some of them are the aggravated home invasion," Mr Kozlowski said.
"He (Ferry) has been keen to take on rehab as much as he can and he remains clean (of drugs)."
The director of Shepparton's drug and alcohol recovery facility, The Cottage, gave evidence via video link on behalf of Ferry.
After some consideration, magistrate Noreen Toohey refused Ferry's application for bail because of his unacceptable risk to the community.
He will return to the Ballarat Magistrates' Court for a committal mention on October 21. Ferry faces 45 charges including burglary, aggravated home invasion, car theft, going equipped to steal, speeding and drug and firearm offences.
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