A Koonawarra man who allegedly terrorised his family with a machete, sparking a police operation around his home on Friday, has been released on bail.
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Cruz De Gouveia, 25, appeared via video link in Port Kembla Bail Court on Saturday, charged with common assault, damaging property, possessing a prohibited drug and possession of a prescribed restricted substance.
According to police documents, De Gouveia’s mother was in the bedroom of her Aldinga Avenue home when her son walked past the door holding a hammer and a machete about 11.30am.
Almost two hours later, De Gouveia was heard stabbing a hallway wall, before he allegedly walked into his bedroom and put the machete through the wall.
De Gouveia then entered the lounge, allegedly still holding the machete and hammer, and told his grandmother: ‘‘People are hiding in the lounge to get me.’’
‘‘He kicked the lounge a few times then turned to the victim and held up the machete in a threatening manner,’’ the police statement read.
‘‘The victim feared the accused was going to hit her with the machete.’’
The court heard De Gouveia’s mother is unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair or her bed. It was her carer who rang triple-0.
‘‘All the persons in the house have hidden in rooms as the accused was becoming more paranoid,’’ police said.
‘‘The victims and the witness were never forced to stay in the house by the accused, however feared to leave due to his behaviour and the fact he had a hammer and machete.’’
Officers arrived a short time later and surrounded the house, ‘‘organising a police operation to have the victims removed safely’’.
The court heard De Gouveia saw police out the front and alerted his mother, who told him to go outside. De Gouveia did so and was arrested without incident.
Officers entered the home and allegedly located two machetes, a baseball bat and a hammer inside De Gouveia’s bedroom.
Police also say they found a clear resealable bag of cannabis on a table, a white Centrum bottle filled with 20 capsules of an unknown substance, a small black case containing an ice pipe and an unknown crystal substance that resembled methamphetamine.
It will be alleged 44 white tablets in a resealable bag were also found, along with a container filled with about 1kg of an unknown white powder, one box of Oxycodone and nine 250ml bottles of steroids, one of which was full of liquid.
On Saturday, police prosecutor Sergeant Anna Comer did not oppose De Gouveia’s bail application, noting it was his first charge for a matter of violence, but asked for strict conditions.
In granting bail, Registrar Kathy Frost ordered De Gouveia not to contact or approach the alleged victims, not to go within 100metres of the Aldinga Avenue home, comply with an apprehended violence order and live with his father at an address in Lake Heights.
The matter will return to Port Kembla Local Court on September 10.