Man accused of attempted home invasion in Warrnambool's Japan Street bailed with $50k surety

Jack O'Dowd, 30, appeared in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Friday where he made a successful bail application.

The man is charged with attempted home invasion and other offences after an alleged incident at a Japan Street address in Warrnambool on September 25.

Police allege Mr O'Dowd attended the property at 1.45am with co-accused Bradley Thompson, 32, Jacob Arndell, 30, and another unknown male.

A male and female who reside at the Japan Street property were home at the time.

The adults were in the dining area of the property when the four men allegedly walked down the driveway and onto a patio at the back door.

The men yelled out to the occupants, who refused entry to their home.

Warrnambool police Detective Senior Constable Wayne Ryan said CCTV footage showed the four males wearing some form of disguise and armed with various weapons, including a jemmy bar, knuckle dusters, a knife and a metal bat.

He alleged Mr O'Dowd was carrying the knife.

The detective said the unknown male smashed a door with a metal bat.

The female complainant rang triple-0 while her partner picked up items and threw them at the four accused men.

The group then allegedly left the property, running across Japan Street.

Detective Senior Constable Ryan said Mr O'Dowd was known to police and was identified through CCTV footage.

But barrister Hayden Rattray, representing Mr O'Dowd, said his client was in a "concerning situation with very limited identification evidence".

"This is a very, very weak prosecution case and there is a reasonable prospect of (the charges) being discharged," he said.

Mr Rattray said the occupants of the property had refused to make a statement to police.

"There is utterly no evidence as to him being one of the people involved in this offence," he said.

He said police found "an entirely ordinary pair of black sneakers" belonging to Mr O'Dowd, which they claim were depicted in CCTV footage from the alleged incident.

Magistrate Franz Holzer agreed the evidence against Mr O'Dowd was "not strong".

The man was released on bail with conditions, including he provide a $50,000 bail surety and abide by an overnight curfew.

The three accused men will face the same court for a contest mention hearing on March 15 next year.

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