Victorian policeman charged with murder granted bail
A POLICEMAN who is the first serving Victoria Police officer in 30 years to be charged with murder will be released on bail.
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A POLICEMAN who is the first serving Victoria Police officer in 30 years to be charged with murder will be released on bail.
Timothy Baker, 44, was charged with murder earlier this month and remanded in custody.
Justice Christopher Beale today bailed Mr Baker to the care of his solicitor, who has given an undertaking to transport him directly to a psychiatric clinic.
The police officer is accused of murdering Vlado Micetic.
Mr Micetic, who had a long criminal history, was shot three times at short range after being pulled over in Union St, Windsor, on August 25, 2013.
Ian Hill QC, representing Mr Baker, told the Supreme Court today that the policeman was struggling in protective custody and was in a “fragile” state.
“Since his arrest and placing in custody he is segregated from other prisoners and locked in a small cell 23 hours a day,” Mr Hill said.
The court heard Mr Baker was suffering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
He will be admitted to The Victoria Clinic, a 52-bed private psychiatric facility in Prahran, tomorrow.
Mr Beale said the “onerous routine associated with protective custody” was likely to make Mr Baker’s state of mind worse.
It is alleged Mr Micetic struggled with Mr Baker after being pulled over.
Mr Baker previously claimed Mr Micetic had a knife.
“The charges have been laid following a lengthy and thorough investigation by the homicide squad, which was oversighted by Professional Standards Command,” a Victoria Police statement released this month read.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said it was the first time in 30 years a Victorian police officer had been charged with murder.
“It’s always a sad day for the organisation when serious charges are laid against a police officer,” he said.
The probe has involved the homicide squad, the coroner, professional standards command and corruption watchdog IBAC.
The brief of evidence was reviewed by professional standards command and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Video captured from the on-board camera in the police car and CCTV from nearby buildings was reviewed and is understood to be critical to the case.
Mr Baker was working alone at the time of the incident.
At the time of the incident police said Mr Micetic — who had 99 convictions dating back to the 1980s — got out of his white Hyundai when the senior constable was allegedly confronted by him.
The officer then drew his gun and fired shots into the man’s upper body.
A woman in the Hyundai ran from the scene.
Mr Micetic, from St Albans, described himself on his Facebook page as a self-taught portrait painter. He had a history of mental illness, which a psychiatrist said may have been linked to his drug use.
In 2013 a relative of Mr Micetic, Skender Dardivski, said the family just wanted to know why and how he was shot dead.