The victim’s passenger, Stratus Descada, 47, successfully applied for bail in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.
He is charged with attempted armed robbery, false imprisonment and unlawful assault.
Prosecutor Samantha Owen told the court a co-accused contacted Mr Descada with a plan to rob the victim of $20,000.
The co-accused knew the victim, a fruit contractor, had $24,709 in pickers’ salaries the day of the robbery, Ms Owen said.
The court heard the co-accused also knew the victim had $20,000 that he owed him as one of his sub-contractors.
The co-accused organised Mr Descada to meet the victim outside a house in Longstaff St, Shepparton, on October 13.
Mr Descada got in the front seat of the victim’s car when he pulled up and said “drive, drive, drive”, Ms Owen said.
The court was told Mr Descada had a diamond tester with him that the victim believed was a handgun.
Believing he was going to die, the victim accelerated into the BP service station on Goulburn Valley Hwy hoping to get help from other customers, but there was no-one there, Ms Owen said.
He then accelerated heavily into the nearby Toyota dealership, jumped out and ran inside, calling out “call police, call police, he has a gun”, Ms Owen said.
Mr Descada ran off and hid while police searched the area, the court was told.
Police caught up with Mr Descada on October 28 when they spotted him driving in Shepparton.
He apologised and told police “I’ll tell you everything”, the prosecutor said.
Ms Owen said police were concerned Mr Descada had no permanent address and had moved a lot over the past five years, not living anywhere for longer than six months.
They were concerned he would leave Victoria.
Magistrate David Faram, however, said the lack of a permanent address was not enough reason to keep Mr Descada in custody.
He granted Mr Descada bail, with conditions including that he report to Shepparton police twice a week, surrender his passport, not leave Victoria, not contact prosecution witnesses and not associate with his co-accused.
He will appear again in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in February for a committal mention.
