Craig William Justice, 69, bailed on attempted murder charge over alleged 2023 arson attack in Dimbulah
A man accused of attempted murder, stalking and arson over an alleged attack on his former partner in Dimbulah in August 2023 has been granted Supreme Court bail under strict conditions.
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A man accused of attempted murder, stalking and arson over an alleged attack on his former partner has been granted bail under strict conditions.
Craig William Justice, 69, is facing charges of arson, stalking, attempted murder, evasion and contravening a domestic violence order between July and August 2023 in what Justice James Henry described in court as ‘bizarre and erratic alleged criminal behaviour’ culminating in an alleged arson attack in Dimbulah.
Defence Barrister James Sheridan applied for bail on Justice’s behalf in the Cairns Supreme Court, saying Justice would have stable accommodation with his daughter in Townsville if released.
He said medical and psychiatric investigations had revealed Justice had a clot in his brain that restricted his oxygen supply, which could explain his bizarre behaviour in the months leading up to the alleged attack.
Mr Sheridan said that, since Justice had been administered blood thinners while on remand, his behaviour had changed.
Psychiatric reports also suggested there was a possibility Justice had late onset bipolar.
Justice’s daughters first noticed a change in his behaviour in the year before the alleged attack, and urged their father to seek help, making appointments for him to get a brain scan, Mr Sheridan said.
He said further investigations and applications would be made around Justice’s mental health for his defence, which could take some time.
Crown Prosecutor Hannah McNeale opposed bail, noting allegations that Justice had been premeditated in his attack, ‘’collecting fuel and fashioning molotov cocktails”.
She said he later minimised his behaviour by claiming the petrol bombs “didn’t smash” and that he had been “acting like a zombie” at the time.
Justice Henry, in granting bail, said the psychiatric reports of mental disturbance, and his subsequent change in behaviour after treatment was compelling.
“The behaviour of a man of mature age with no similar criminal history is consistent with him labouring under some sort of mental disorder … it was such extreme and bizarre behaviour … that seems to have worsened around the (time) of his alleged offending.,” Justice Henry said.
“When he came into custody he continued to behave in an erratic way, consistent with some form of mental disturbance.”
Justice Henry said he believed any risk Justice presented to his former partner and the community could be mitigated through strict conditions and monitoring.
He granted bail to Justice on the conditions he live in Townsville at the supplied address, surrender his passports, not contact witnesses, and initiate two-monthly mental health checks with a general practitioner, to be supplied also to the police for continued monitoring.
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Originally published as Craig William Justice, 69, bailed on attempted murder charge over alleged 2023 arson attack in Dimbulah
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