Court told of home invasion and 11 stolen guns

He is also charged with theft, careless driving, driving while disqualified, failing to give details after a crash, possess cartridge ammunition and dishonestly retaining stolen goods.

Shepparton Crime Investigation Unit’s Detective Senior Constable Sarah Roberts told Shepparton Magistrates’ Court that two people wearing balaclavas had an altercation with other people at Shinezilla car wash in Kialla at 1.35am on October 15 last year.

The court was told witnesses said they heard the sound of a firearm discharged, but no projectile was found, and CCTV from the car wash also did not depict a firearm being discharged.

Video on Mr Kennedy’s phone the same day and the following day depicted him with two different silver revolvers.

Police allege Mr Kennedy was involved in stealing a Jeep Cherokee from Moama on October 19 and using it in a burglary in Epsom.

Police also allege Mr Kennedy was among five people involved in an aggravated home invasion on a house in Community St in Shepparton on October 21.

Det Sen Constable Roberts told the court that on that day about 5am a man who lived at the house was confronted by two men, one of whom held a silver handgun or homemade gun, which he pointed at him.

He retreated inside the house, where he was attacked by his own dog.

Four men, all wearing balaclavas, then allegedly smashed windows to get into the house, and one hit a female occupant on the head with a metal pole. The man was also hit with a metal bar.

Two of the men allegedly had metal bars or baseball bats, and one had a machete.

The court heard when a doctor examined the male occupant after the assault, he found a “perfect O shape” on his leg that police suspect was from a gunshot wound.

However, Det Sen Constable Roberts said medical evidence “does not support a gunshot wound” although a police ballistics expert said it “could not be excluded”.

The detective told the court police believed the vehicle five men arrived in at the home invasion was a Ford Ranger stolen from Numurkah on October 17.

Three men have been charged over the home invasion: Mr Kennedy, Travis Murrell and Isaac Hindmarsh.

A video was found on Mr Murrell’s phone of Mr Kennedy wearing latex gloves and smoking methamphetamines at 6.24am on the day of the home invasion.

The court was told that video on Mr Hindmarsh’s phone showed Mr Kennedy and Mr Murrell removing the back seats from the Ford Ranger, and police allege that was to clean up blood splatter from the home invasion.

The court was also told that four guns and a Toyota HiLux were stolen from a property at Murchison on October 23.

Mr Kennedy and Mr Murrell’s phones both connected to phone towers in Murchison that morning.

Examination of Mr Murrell’s phone found a message from him to another man saying “want to meet and have got guns”.

When Mr Murrell and Mr Hindmarsh were arrested in the HiLux at Shinezilla car wash in Kialla on October 24, they had five guns in the vehicle. Police allege three had been stolen from Murchison, and two from a Moama property.

On October 28, Mr Kennedy is alleged to have driven the Jeep into a parked ute in Knight St, Morooopna, before fleeing to Gemmill Swamp where he was picked up by a woman after dumping the Jeep and swimming through water.

The abandoned Jeep was found by police 200m from McFarlane Rd, and a gun that had been stolen from Moama was found hidden under a tree trunk nearby.

Inside the dumped Jeep were homemade gun components, items stolen from Murchison, face masks, a break-in kit, baseball bat, metal pipe, gloves and balaclavas, Det Sen Constable Roberts said.

When police searched Mr Kennedy’s Mooroopna home, they allegedly found a gun that had been stolen from Moama under his bed, as well as items that had been stolen from Murchison.

Police allege 11 guns in total have been stolen from two properties — four from Murchison and seven from Moama. One from Murchison has still not been recovered.

Det Sen Constable Roberts opposed bail saying Mr Kennedy was a danger to the public, and that despite being prohibited from possessing guns, he had a stolen gun under his bed and there were “extensive firearms images” on phones.

She also told the court charges had not been laid in the Victorian Magistrates’ Court over the theft of the guns from Moama, as that was a NSW matter.

Police also allege Mr Kennedy is a risk of failing to appear in court if bailed.

His bail application will continue later in March.

Mr Murrell and Mr Hindmarsh also both briefly appeared in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court and continued to be remanded in custody.