Henry Allan Martin, 27, previously of Lindsay Street, appeared in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court for what was to be the start of a two-day contested committal hearing.

He instead pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury and two counts of failing to answer bail. A charge of intentionally causing serious injury was withdrawn by the prosecution.

Magistrate Peter Mellas adjourned the case to the next sitting of the Warrnambool County Court starting on September 22, but defence counsel Jonathan Rattray warned a mental health report on his client may not have been completed by then.

Martin did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.

He has numerous prior convictions and in Queensland in 2009 received a lengthy prison term for violent offences.

Martin was released from prison on parole in early December last year — about two months before an incident in Heywood which led to the new charges.

At that time he was living in Lindsay Street, Heywood, at his mother’s home which was also close to where the victim was living with a woman friend in Scott Street. The victim has a long history of mental health issues, alcohol dependence and suffers memory loss.

At 3.15am on Wednesday, February 12 this year, two men were walking past the victim’s home when they heard him yelling for help.

He was found inside seriously injured and covered in blood.

An ambulance was called and took him to the Warrnambool Base Hospital intensive care unit. He suffered two head lacerations, five right-side rib fractures, a collapsed right lung, multiple fractures to his left elbow and assorted cuts and abrasions. 

The injuries were regarded as serious but not life-threatening. He still suffers ongoing issues due to the severity of his injuries.

The victim, who had been drinking, was unable to describe what happened but claimed to have been attacked by an unknown man with an axe.

Crime scene officers found large amounts of blood at both ends of the Scott Street home’s lounge and it was determined the victim had been injured for some time before he was found.

They also located an axe with a broken handle on the floor.

At 11am the same day Martin handed himself in at Heywood police station and admitted he was responsible for the attack, breaking down in tears.

Martin said he had been in the home with the woman resident when the victim, who had been drinking, became aggressive towards the woman and grabbed her around the throat.

Martin said he grabbed an axe and twice struck the man to the back of the head with the back of the axe. The victim fell onto the couch and didn’t move.

Martin said he struck the man so hard he thought he had killed him and the axe handle had broken.

He told police he struck the victim a third time to the back.

During the interview with police Martin was apologetic and said he hoped the victim recovered.

After being released on bail the same day, Martin fled to Adelaide where he was arrested on March 27 on a Queensland warrant for breaching parole.

He completed the remaining five weeks of Queensland parole before being taken into custody for the Heywood assault and extradited to Victoria on May 30.

He has been in custody since.