Police allege Benjamin James Crawford, 34, provided his co-accused with information about the location of a set of house keys that enabled the second man to gain entry to the Princes Highway unit complex just before midnight on Tuesday while its occupants were asleep inside.

Court documents said one resident awoke to see a balaclava-clad man standing in his room holding a machete. Police will allege it was Crawford’s co-accused, who remains at large.

The court heard the victim jumped out of bed and chased the co-accused out of the unit towards a common area inside the unit block.

Meantime, Crawford, who had accompanied his friend to the location, had allegedly been left inside a locked fire stairwell while the break and enter was taking place and was forced to kick out a window to get out.

He cuts himself on the hand and arm while escaping, leaving blood at the scene, police said.

Officers later followed Crawford’s blood trail to nearby Cambridge Avenue and discovered him in Guest Park.

He was arrested without incident and taken to hospital for treatment before being returned to Wollongong Police Station the following day.

He allegedly confessed to having told his co-accused where he could find the house keys but denied setting foot inside the unit that night.

He also claimed his co-accused had threatened to harm him and his family during the course of the incident and had prevented him from leaving by locking him inside the stairwell.

Crawford applied for bail in Wollongong Local Court on Friday however it was opposed by police, who claimed he presented too much of a risk to public safety to be released.

Magistrate Mark Douglass refused the application, noting Crawford already had a lengthy criminal history.

He described the allegations as “disturbing” and adjourned the matter to next month.