The boy, 15, who can not be named for legal reasons, was arrested on Sunday, October 4, after a man was assaulted while riding his bike along Colliver Rd in Shepparton about 2.50 pm.
The Children's Court heard the victim, 40, saw a group of five people walking towards him, with the accused crossing the street and walking in front of his bike, causing him to stop.
Footage obtained from the accused's phone captured the assault, with the accused and co-accused allegedly seen dragging the victim across the road and attempting to smash a bottle over his head.
“While the accused held the victim, (the co-accused) produced the bottle and narrowly missed the victim's head,” the court was told.
The victim, who was not known to the accused, was then punched several times to the head and chest, causing his upper lip to bleed and swelling behind his ears.
He was treated by paramedics at the scene and later taken to Goulburn Valley Health for treatment.
Police found the accused a short time later in a nearby street and he was arrested and interviewed.
The court was told on Monday the boy was on bail at the time for an alleged attempted home invasion and attempted aggravated burglary in Shepparton on September 19 this year.
Police told the court they opposed the boy's release, saying he idolised the co-accused who already had an "extensive criminal history" spanning the past eight years.
“I believe the accused idolises (the co-accused) ... he is starting to change his appearance to look like (the co-accused) ... even the way he produces himself to police,” the court heard.
“If (the victim) was 65 or 75 he could possibly have died at the scene from the injuries sustained by these two offenders. The community expect more, they don’t expect to go about their business and be assaulted in the middle of the day in a main street.”
The boy's lawyer said her client was currently on a “relatively strict” set of bail conditions for the alleged offending earlier this year.
She said this could continue if he was released to help ameliorate any risk he presented to the safety of the community.
The court heard the boy had a supportive family network, with his mother and stepfather in court, was linked in with local education and had agreed to attend counselling with his mother to improve their relationship.
“They both acknowledged their relationship is not where it should be ... they had always been close, however this year they hit some shaky ground,” the lawyer said.
She argued the boy should not be placed on supervised bail, describing it as “somewhat premature” due to his lack of criminal history.
“It may potentially expose people to things they have previously not been exposed to, which entrench them in a system,” the lawyer said.
“He has already spent a night in custody, that is quite significant ... he hadn't seen the inside of police cells before and he has spent almost 24 hours in there, which is an absolute eye-opener for him.”
The magistrate granted the boy bail, adding a condition that he must comply with youth justice.
“It troubles me when young people are in custody,” she said.
“I can see that it's your peers really influencing you, you're hanging out with people and making some bad decisions.
“I’m worried about the risk of you committing further offences, particularly if you hang around the wrong crowd.”
The boy, who was charged with recklessly cause injury, affray and commit an indictable offence while on bail, is expected to face a Children's Court again in December.
No plea was entered.
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