A man accused of attempted murder after a woman was set on fire, allegedly after an argument in Melbourne’s western suburbs, has asked the court to see a medical practitioner for unspecified health issues.
The 32-year-old woman received significant burns outside a home on Rivercoast Road in Werribee South about 2am on Wednesday and remains in a critical condition in hospital, according to police.
Family of Michael Gauci, who has been charged with attempted murder after a woman was seriously burnt, leave the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
It’s unclear how the pair knew each other.
The accused, Werribee South man Michael Gauci, faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with attempted murder, conduct endangering life, intentionally cause serious injury and recklessly causing serious injury.
The 43-year-old spoke only at the end of the brief administrative hearing, telling magistrate Donna Bakos he understood he would return to court and thanking her.
A man with bandages at the scene in Werribee South, where a woman was found with significant burns. Credit:Chris Hopkins
Gauci’s lawyer told the court it was the man’s first time in custody and that he needed to see a medical practitioner for “unspecified health reasons”.
The woman remains at The Alfred hospital in a critical condition. A teenager and a man had also been taken to hospital with injuries on Wednesday morning, but hospital staff were unsure whether they had been discharged.
The investigation is being led by the arson and explosives squad, but homicide detectives initially attended the scene after the first call-out.
A shoe is collected as evidence in Melbourne’s west. Credit:Chris Hopkins
Neighbour Triston Thompson told Nine News it wasn’t the kind of thing to happen in the normally quiet area.
“Somebody had allegedly been doused in fuel and set on fire,” he said.
The evidence against Gauci will be filed by February, and he is due to return to court in March. CCTV footage, police body-worn camera footage and a DNA report would form part of the case, the court was told.
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