Levi Young-Henderson, of Noarlunga Downs, faces court for first time after allegedly stringing wire across popular Adelaide bike path

The man accused of injuring multiple cyclists after he strung a piece of wire across one of Adelaide’s busiest bike paths has faced court for the first time.

Levi Young-Henderson has appeared in court over the alleged placing of a wire over a bike route. Picture: SAPOL

A young Noarlunga Downs man accused of injuring multiple cyclists after he strung a piece of wire across one of Adelaide’s busiest bike routes had a video on his phone displaying the path with the caption ‘I’m so evil’ and a devil emoji, a court has heard.

Levi Young-Henderson, 18, appeared in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Thursday in front of Magistrate Kylie Schulz charged with two counts of act to cause serious harm and four counts of damage to property.

He made an application for home detention bail and is yet to enter any pleas, but said he “strongly contested” the allegations.

A police prosecutor told the court they were opposed to all forms of bail – alleging Mr Young-Henderson strung the wire up “deliberately” on “two separate occasions”.

“The CCTV footage captured a male offender (and) identifies this defendant as the only person in the area where the wire was erected at the time it was erected,” they said.

“The defendant attended the Christies Beach Police Station and identified himself as the person in the CCTV footage, however he denied involvement in the offending. Police noted a likeness to the person that presented himself to police and as a result they seized the defendant’s mobile phone.

CCTV footage allegedly depicting Mr Young-Henderson. Picture: SAPOL

“There is footage that he is there at the scene filming where the wire is with an emoji of the devil and the words ‘I’m so evil’.

“This is a significant matter. It’s lucky only four people were involved.”

Mr Young-Henderson was arrested by Southern District Police on Wednesday night after a public appeal to identify the man was issued on Tuesday.

About 6.20am on Friday, January 10, three male cyclists reported to police that wire had been strung across the bike path near the Poznan Path footbridge, along the Southern Expressway.

It’s alleged the hazardous wire had been removed from a fence and tied to a tree.

Three riders sustained serious damage to their bikes – with a combined cost of around $40,000 – after they were struck by the wire, while two men suffered “nasty grazes on the knees and elbows” when they fell off their bikes at a speed of about 35km/h.

Defence counsel for Mr Young-Henderson told the court their client walked down the bike path every day for his job as a casual fencer and “filmed the video as a joke”.

“He instructs he saw the wire and didn’t report it to police,” they said.

“There is no CCTV footage of the site where these instances have occurred (and) no footage of Mr Young-Henderson in the process of putting up this wire fence.

“These matters, from the outset, are strongly and entirely contested.”

Ms Schulz ordered a home detention assessment report and remanded Mr Young-Henderson in custody to appear in court next week.