A 29-year-old man charged with invading a Mount Helen home, stealing the owner's vehicle and driving it in a high-speed police chase has been released on bail.
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Matthew McLean was bailed at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Friday after being on remand for almost one year.
Magistrate Letizia Torres said the alleged offending, which occurred on December 19 at a Mount Helen house, was extremely serious and would attract a prison sentence if McLean was found guilty.
In her reasons for granting bail, the magistrate said a delay in the matter proceeding to a trial was a significant issue and strict bail conditions could reduce the unacceptable risks alleged against McLean.
"As it stands there is a genuine contest and the matter would go to trial. Delay is a significant issue. It would be over one year before it gets to a contested committal," Ms Torres said.
"If trials did start in April, there is no way of knowing where in the queue this would be."
Mr Torres said unacceptable risk was another issue with the prosecution alleging McLean was an unacceptable risk to the community's safety and welfare, and failing to appear.
She said McLean had been given community corrections orders and prison terms in the past and neither had changed his life.
But she said McLean could live with his father in Melbourne, he had never been on the Court Integrated Court Services Program and he had completed courses and produced numerous clean drug screens while in prison.
"He's been almost a year on remand and is in a strong position to continue his rehabilitation in the community. I have decided to release him on bail which can reduce the risks of re-offending," Ms Torres said.
"I have given you a very important opportunity. You are on CISP so I will be monitoring you."
Police informant Detective Leading Senior Constable Steven Campbell told the court on Thursday McLean, Michael Dawson, Trewin Gow and Nicholas Ryan parked a car in the driveway of a Mount Helen house on December 19, last year.
He said McLean, Dawson and Gow knocked on the door and walked into the house when the victim opened the door.
The informant said the victim saw a man with tattoos on his face, who matched McLean's appearance, and Gow, who was known to the victim.
McLean was allegedly repeatedly asking the victim, 'what have you got?'.
The men had lost the keys to the car they had driven to the house, so Dawson allegedly grabbed the keys to the victim's Nissan Navara and ran to it in the driveway.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Campbell said the victim ran to his car and grabbed the keys back, before running back inside the house and locking the door.
It is alleged three of the accused broke back into the house by kicking the door, punched the victim and regained possession of the car keys.
Gow and Dawson were allegedly carrying beer bottles during the attack.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Campbell said the men got into the victim's vehicle, rammed the car they had driven to the house onto the roadway and sped away.
Neighbours who saw the incident unfold called police.
He said police pursued the vehicle as it sped up to 140km/h around Ballarat and narrowly avoided a number of collisions.
Police had to take evasive action at one point to avoid being rammed after the vehicle reversed towards a police car, the informant alleged.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Campbell said stop sticks were deployed but the stolen vehicle was driven around them and police officers drew their firearms.
He said a short time later the vehicle came to a stop and McLean was seated in the driver's seat, Nicholson in a passenger seat and Dawson and Gow fled on foot but they were eventually arrested.
The police informant said McLean was facing other charges where it was alleged he drove on the wrong side of Sturt Street, central Ballarat, chasing another vehicle on December 17.
He said McLean collided with another car on Ascot Street North and it spun around before stopping. The driver was transported to hospital.
McLean's bail conditions include to live at a stable address, comply with the CISP, not associate with his co-accused, not to drive a motor vehicle, not to attend Ballarat, comply with a curfew and not to leave Victoria.
He has been charged with various driving offences, aggravated home invasion with the intent to steal and intent to assault with a beer bottle.
A committal hearing was set down for January 13. McLean's co-accused remain in custody.