Man admits knocking out woman and trying to pervert justice

Jason Ford, 46, entered guilty pleas in a Melbourne County Court directions hearing on Monday morning, April 8, 2024.

He entered a plea to a charge of recklessly causing injury in Hamilton on October 15, 2022.

Mr Ford also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice after allegedly making phone calls from the Ravenhall prison between December 15, 2022, and February 6 last year, to people in an attempt to get them to provide alibis for him.

Mr Ford will now appear in the county court for a plea hearing at 10.30am on July 9.

He was previously released on bail with the condition he reside at Odyssey House rehabilitation centre.

The court heard on Monday morning Mr Ford was no longer living there but he was welcome to go back and was in the process of organising a return.

Office Of Public Prosecution lawyer Carmela Pezzementi requested if Mr Ford did not immediately return to Odyssey House police should be aware so consideration could be given to revoking Mr Ford's bail.

Previously Mr Ford made a bail application in the Supreme Court but that was cut short when a judge warned the accused man was abusing the court process.

Mr Ford appeared in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court in February last year on charges.

The court heard he went to a Hamilton property on October 15, 2022, arriving between 9.30pm and 10pm and knocking on the front door.

Police alleged a 51-year-old woman opened the main door but kept a security screen shut.

Mr Ford allegedly asked the complainant if she had a problem and asked to see her partner, who he had previously loaned money.

When the alleged victim said the man was asleep, Mr Ford allegedly pushed his way through the front door.

Mr Ford was on bail at that time with strict conditions, including an overnight curfew, that he reside in Broadmeadows and not be within 100 kilometres of Hamilton.

Then in October last year he pleaded guilty to breaching bail and trafficking methamphetamine in a separate case.

Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge jailed Ford for the time he had served in custody since being arrested - 150 days.

He said Ford had a poor criminal record and if he continued to come back to court charged with similar offences, the jail terms would just get longer.

He said trafficking methamphetamine was a "very serious crime which caused great harm in the community" and there was a commercial context to the offence.

Later that month Mr Ford was committed to stand trial on those original four charges of aggravated burglary, assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Police allege Mr Ford tried to organise a witness to provide a false alibi from prison during a taped conversation.

He was released on bail after the committal but within weeks was intercepted and charged with drug-impaired driving (testing positive to methamphetamine), unlicensed driving and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Mr Ford's bail was revoked in the County Court late last year.

At that time a lawyer was trying to get Mr Ford into drug rehabilitation before his pending trial, which has now resolved to a plea hearing.