A police officer was on a welfare check when he was stabbed multiple times in a "frenzied" attack with a large hunting knife, a court has heard.
The Victorian Supreme Court bail hearing was told 50-year-old Adam Bray armed himself with a 30cm to 40cm hunting knife when emergency services attended a residence in Torquay, west of Melbourne in November 2022.
They had responded to a text to the local health service from Bray's mother, who was concerned about her son's behaviour.
Bray allegedly tried to stab a senior constable in the stomach, before the officer fell over trying to get away.
"The stabbings that followed could only be described as frenzied, there's body worn camera footage of it," crown prosecutor Erik Dober told the court on Wednesday.
The officer was stabbed multiple times in the thigh, arms and hands and was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Bray was charged with attempted murder and assaulting an emergency service worker on duty.
Defence lawyer Ashlee Cannon said Bray had fallen away from mental health services since engaging with them in 2020, and that exceptional circumstances and a potential mental impairment defence should be considered in any bail decision.
"Assuming that the matter does proceed by way of mental impairment as a defence, there is a real likelihood that Mr Bray would, if not granted bail, spend a period of time on remand that would exceed any - if there was any - custodial sentence," Ms Cannon told the court.
Justice Rita Incerti delayed her decision whether to bail Bray, pending further information about a mental health support plan for the defendant should he be released to await trial.
"I'll be quite frank ... that one of my concerns is the isolation, which clearly was part of the deteriorating mental health conditions," Justice Incerti told the court.
"There's the connection to sovereign citizens, which is a real concern, that the only contact you've got (is) via internet and in the absence of forming other meaningful relationships."
Justice Incerti said it was fortunate the officer was not more seriously hurt.
"It's clearly had a devastating impact on him and other people who are directly involved," she said.
"This is incredibly serious offending."
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