A man accused of attempting to murder a woman by burning her alive has faced court for the first time.
Michael Gauci, 43, of Werribee South has been charged with attempted murder, intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury, and conduct endangering life.
Dressed in black and sporting a receding hairline, the masked Gauci looked on anxiously at family members who attended the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to support the alleged brute.
A young woman has been left fighting for life after she was found on fire in the front yard of a Melbourne home following a dispute (pictured, emergency services at the scene)
Gauci’s 32-year old victim, whose name the court refused to reveal, continues to hang onto life at The Alfred Hospital after receiving serious burns at about 2am on Wednesday morning.
The court heard Gauci had never spent a day behind bars in his life, but would be held there until at least the end of March after failing to make an attempt at bail.
Gauci’s lawyer Anthony Malkoun asked his client be seen by a doctor for ‘unspecified health issues’ before being taken away.
Outside court, Gauci’s family members were keen to avoid questions about the incident.
Under siege from reporters, they scurried to a waiting car and quickly drove away.
Court documents released by the court provide no clear insight into how or why Gauci allegedly attacked his victim.
Neighbours have told Daily Mail Australia the incident was brought-on by a house party on Rivercoast Road in Werribee South, west of Melbourne.
It is understood the house party had continued into the night when Gauci allegedly doused the woman with petrol and set her alight in the front yard of a home.
The woman, aged in her 30s, has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, after she received serious burns at about 2am on Wednesday
Under siege from reporters, Gauci’s family members scurried to a waiting car and quickly drove away.
‘The last I heard of anything was when my mates left around 12 and the music was loud but definitely not blasting or anything,’ one neighbour said.
‘You couldn’t hear it in the house.’
The tragedy happened outside townhouses on Rivercoast Road in Werribee South, about 32km southwest from the CBD.
A man at the scene who identified himself as the woman’s brother said the victim had gotten into an argument with a man and another woman.
He said she had been trying to diffuse the situation when she was doused with petrol and set alight, Wyndham TV reports.
Two other people received minor injuries during the incident.
Forensic officers combed the scene for clues on Wednesday morning
She was airlifted from a property on Rivercoast Road in Werribee South, about 32km southwest from the CBD, and taken to a hospital in Melbourne
While Homicide Squad detectives attended the scene, the investigation is being led by the Arson and Explosives Squad.
Mixed reports on how the incident happened continue to swirl among the tight-knit community, with some suggesting a noise complaint from neighbours may have triggered the dispute.
Others told Daily Mail Australia police had indicated it was a domestic dispute.
‘We haven’t heard anything about a complaint or a fight breaking out though,’ a neighbour said.
Family members of the injured woman, who come from New Zealand, did not wish to comment and asked for privacy when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
The victim is believed to have lived at the Werribee South property for the past three years.
Police remained at the crime scene late into the day on Wednesday, cordoning off the section of grass where the woman was allegedly set on fire.
A blue Esky was could be seen alongside a discarded glass bottle of Malibu rum.
Arson squad detectives took a green slide-style shoe from the scene and bagged it as evidence.
Officers also took dirt from where the fire was lit to probe it for any potential chemical was used.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
