Rebecca Hayes, shot by police after allegedly holding gun to boyfriend’s head, wins bail

A woman who was shot by police in Noble Park after allegedly holding a gun to her boyfriend’s head following a two-day crime spree has been bailed as a court heard she feared for her safety if she did not follow his orders.

A woman who was shot by police after allegedly holding a gun up to her boyfriend’s head following a two-day crime spree has been bailed as a court heard she feared for her safety if she did not follow his orders.

Rebecca Hayes, 28, allegedly terrorised several “traumatised” victims alongside her 26-year-old now former partner Liam Smith during a spate of robberies and car jackings across the southeastern suburbs last week.

The alleged mayhem was brought to an end when police spotted the pair driving a stolen car on Police Rd in Noble Park.

Police say officers were forced to shoot Ms Hayes as she raised a gun up to Mr Smith’s head while inside the car.

She remained in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries until Friday night, when she was charged with aggravated carjacking, theft of a motor vehicle, attempted armed robbery, common law assault, shop theft, reckless conduct endangering life/serious injury and non-prohibited person possessing an imitation firearm.

Ms Hayes appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where the court heard the couple’s crime spree began on April 2 after Mr Smith got into a fight with his mother at their Noble Park home, where Ms Hayes had also been living.

Detective Sergeant Mark Walsh told the court Ms Hayes left the house with Mr Smith because she was too afraid of him to disobey his orders.

Between April 2 and April 4, the pair then allegedly terrorised multiple victims.

On April 3, they demanded that two 22-year-olds hand over their Ford Fairmont which was parked outside their Noble Park house.

The court heard Mr Smith raised his top, exposing a “bulge”, which Mr Smith implied was a gun.

Police cordoned off part of Police Rd in Mulgrave after the shooting. Picture: Himangi Singh

“Report your car stolen, I need your car,” he allegedly said to the pair, while Ms Hayes allegedly asked if they could take her to a hospital before she and Mr Smith drove off.

The next day, Ms Hayes allegedly pointed a gun at a 64-year-old man in Clayton and threatened to shoot him after he urged them to turn off the stolen car’s high beams.

The pair also allegedly got into an argument with a woman living in a tent nearby, threatening to run her over, before Ms Hayes allegedly tried to steal a rope and a drink from a BP petrol station in Scoresby.

On April 4, the pair allegedly confronted a 43-year-old man who was in his car on the way to work in Springvale.

The court heard they were also seen driving “extremely erratically” when speeding, driving on the wrong side of the road and performing burnouts at a roundabout.

Police later followed Ms Hayes and Mr Smith through Noble Park and Springvale before she could be seen waving the gun outside the car’s front passenger window in Mulgrave.

The court heard Mr Smith told Ms Hayes to raise the gun to his head “so they would both be shot” before police fired two shots into her in one of her forearms and her right breast area.

While opposing bail, Detective Sergeant Walsh said Ms Hayes loved Mr Smith but was also fearful of him, and that she was “incredibly remorseful” for terrorising the victims.

But he said her “incredibly serious and concerning” behaviour had left the victims “extremely fearful”.

Ms Hayes, who did not have a criminal record and had used meth in the past, was bailed under strict conditions that included a 9pm-6am curfew and weekly reports to a police station.

She will return to court on July 7.

Mr Smith is facing 21 charges over the ordeal, including reckless conduct endangering life, prohibited person possessing a firearm, aggravated carjacking, robbery and theft of a motor vehicle.

He was remanded in custody to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on June 4.