By Steve Butcher
Police have used a tattoo of a redback spider on a man's hand to help charge him over a frightening random blade attack earlier this week on a teenage girl on a moving Frankston bus.
A Melbourne court heard that, at about 3.45 last Monday afternoon, Leslie Terrence Such drew the knife and swore at passengers on the bus, including the girl he called a "whore" before grabbing her from behind and punching her.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that Leslie Terrence Such told a teenage girl: "I'll stab you in the eye and slit your throat you little slut".Credit: Getty Images
Senior Constable Fahd Ahmed said in evidence that Such, 32, demanded "everything you've got you little f.....g whore", then stood up and held what was possibly a Swiss Army knife to her right cheek.
"You think I'm f.....g around," Senior Constable Ahmed claimed Such said.
"I'll stab you in the eye and slit your throat you little slut."
Senior Constable Ahmed alleged in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday that Such caused a slight cut as he dragged the knife along the girl's cheek, threatened to stab a passenger who moved to help her and punched another person.
Senior Constable Ahmed said the girl gave a description of her attacker that included a distinctive redback spider tattoo on the back of his hand.
He said later that day police attended an address in Frankston after reports a man was acting erratically, waving a knife around and threatening residents — one who described him as an "ice freak" - before they saw a tattoo that matched the earlier description.
Such appeared before magistrate Duncan Reynolds to apply for bail, which was opposed by police on grounds that included being an unacceptable risk of falling to appear and being a risk to the public.
He is charged with attempted armed robbery, intentionally or recklessly causing injury, threatening to inflict serious injury, making a threat to kill and using a controlled weapon.
Senior Constable Ahmed agreed with defence counsel John Moore that at present there was no corroboration of the words Such allegedly used or of the punch to the other passenger.
Further enquiries were being made about three witnesses, he said, and agreed there was no CCTV on the bus and also could not dispute Such was asleep when police arrived.
In support of bail, Mr Moor argued that there would be a significant delay in finalising the matter, the evidence was not strong and there was a "lot of mystery about the parameters of this attempted armed robbery".
He said any risk could be "made good by appropriate conditions", but Mr Reynolds expressed concern about releasing Such into the community without support over allegations he regarded as "disturbing and serious" criminal conduct.
When the matter resumed after lunch, Mr Moore asked that his client be bailed to December 7 pending a court integrated services assessment.
He said Such was prepared to comply on bail with an alcohol exclusion order, report daily to police and obey a curfew, with the home of his sister available as accomodation.
But Mr Reynolds reiterated his concerns, and said that he could not envisage any risks being allayed to an acceptable level without conditions that also included supported treatment.
Mr Moore asked that custody management issues for his client be noted as him requiring three types of medication, including methadone, which he had not had for several days.
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