Criminal shot dead by police officer Timothy Baker ranted about Hitler, had death wish, court told
A MAN shot dead by career cop Timothy Baker believed Hitler “escaped the gates at the South Pole”, and had a death wish in the days before he was killed, a court was told.
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A DELUSIONAL criminal shot dead by career cop Timothy Baker had a death wish and ranted about Hitler in the days before he died, a court has heard.
Mr Baker, 46, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Vlado Micetic, 44, after pulling him over in Balaclava on August 25, 2013.
The Supreme Court heard Mr Micetic — a violent criminal who had spent years behind bars — told his sister he wanted to die just weeks before he was shot.
His house mate Faik Gasovic told the jury Mr Micetic had not been himself and was filled with paranoid ideas leading up to his death.
“He thought that Hitler had escaped the gates at the South Pole,” he told detectives.
The court heard police had only days earlier raided their St Albans home, which was littered with mantraps placed by the paranoid criminal.
Mr Gasovic said his mate kept a loaded sawn-off shot gun in the house, which he had bought off a junkie.
Mr Baker, who was a Leading Sen-Constable with 24 years on the job at the time, claims he shot Mr Micetic after he pulled a flick knife on him while attempting to arrest him for driving with stolen numberplates.
Ben Frigula said he shared a four-litre cask of wine with Mr Micetic at the Gatwick Hotel in St Kilda just hours before he was shot.
He claimed Mr Micetic was drunk and became more belligerent with every drink he had.
“I told him he was going to end up getting shot ... I didn’t think it would be by a cop,” he said. “I almost wanted to bash him.”
As the murder trial closed out its third week, the jury heard Mr Micetic had an extensive criminal history for violence, dishonesty and weapons possession offences.
In 1999, he was jailed for a little under three years for a violent aggravated burglary in which he was armed with a knife.
The paranoid schizophrenic continued to break the law, up until the minute he was gunned down.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McIntyre said the police computer system would have warned Mr Baker he was dealing with a violent drug-user the moment he punched his name into it.
In June that year, Mr Micetic was intercepted driving while disqualified and was allegedly armed with a large kitchen knife.
He told the arresting officer to “get f---ed” and claimed police had been tracking him with helicopters and satellites.
He was pulled over again on August 2 after telling his sister he wanted to die.
Police remanded him in custody but a magistrate cut the violent offender loose on bail on August 8.
Mr Baker put three bullets into him 12 days later.
The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.