Jordan Spencer, 33, of Shepparton, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, intentionally causing serious injury in circumstances of gross violence and intentionally causing serious injury, during a committal hearing in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.
The charges relate to an incident at Ms Spencer’s Shepparton house on January 15, where it is alleged she attempted to murder a woman by pouring accelerant on her head and using a lighter to ignite it.
Detective Sergeant Beatrice Liptak from the Arson and Explosives Squad gave evidence during the hearing, and said the woman believed a man Ms Spencer was in a relationship with at the time of the offending had taken her e-scooter.
The woman went to Ms Spencer’s house wanting to know there whereabouts of her scooter and Ms Spencer’s partner, Det Sgt Liptak said.
The court heard the woman seemed upset and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Ms Spencer called 000 about the woman’s “erratic behaviour”, the court heard.
Det Sgt Liptak said CCTV footage showed when the woman returned to Ms Spencer’s house, Ms Spencer began yelling and screaming at the woman to “come over to the porch”, seeming like she wanted to have a fight.
The court heard in a phone conversation with Ms Spencer’s partner after the offending, Ms Spencer told him “I just threw it on her… I just snapped and we both went up in flames”.
Ms Spencer’s defence counsel argued the attempted murder charge be thrown out, as his client showed no intention and made no threats to kill the woman, and it was reasonable and rational to believe her intention was to only seriously injure her.
The crown prosecutor said the key difference that showed Ms Spencer’s intention to murder and not just seriously injure her was the fact she threw the accelerant on the woman’s head and lit it on fire, as opposed to another part of her body.
Magistrate Simon Zebrowski decided there was sufficient evidence for a jury to convict Ms Spencer in a trial for this “extraordinarily serious act”.
She will face Melbourne Supreme Court later this month for a directions hearing.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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