A killer obsessed with paedophiles is behind bars after allegedly choking a man he suspected of child abuse, in a vigilante attack likened to a fatal beating he dished out nearly a decade ago.
Danny Klobucar was, in 2016, found not guilty of murder by reason of mental impairment over the bashing death of Miodrag Gajic, 71, two years earlier.
Evidence adduced at his ACT Supreme Court trial suggested Klobucar had a tendency to be violent towards older men he suspected of being paedophiles.
He killed Mr Gajic, in what Justice Hilary Penfold called "a brutal and pitiless" Phillip assault, after forming an irrational belief the "frail" victim was a sexual predator.
The judge indicated she would have sentenced Klobucar, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, to 17 years and nine months in jail had he been found guilty.
That term became the maximum period of time the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal could order Klobucar's detention in a secure facility.
Documents tendered to the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday show Klobucar was back on the streets some time before May 30.
Klobucar, 33, is alleged to have attended a man's Conder home that evening to confront him about a possible cigarette burn on a child's leg.
The man, who claimed the supposed burn was in fact a ringworm, was allegedly accosted by Klobucar outside his toilet and dragged into a room.
There, according to police, Klobucar's mother, Marie Solvy-Leclair, accused the man of abusing the child and punched him in the face.
Klobucar then allegedly wrapped an arm around the man's neck and choked him unconscious while asking "How do you like that?"
Ms Leclair, who remains under investigation over her alleged involvement, is said to have kicked the man in the face as this occurred.
"During the incident, [the victim] lost consciousness and passed out for an unknown period of time," police allege in court documents.
The alleged victim later went to Canberra Hospital, where medical staff called police and reported the incident.
Officers stopped Klobucar as he drove through Wanniassa the day after the alleged attack and arrested him, allegedly finding methamphetamine in the car he was driving.
Klobucar, who was charged with drug possession and choking a person insensible, applied for bail on Thursday after more than a week behind bars.
A prosecutor told the court a drug trafficking charge was also likely to be laid.
He opposed bail, arguing Klobucar was likely to reoffend, endanger others and interfere with witnesses.
The prosecutor said Klobucar's criminal history, dating back 15 years, painted a picture of "someone who has significant mental health concerns and responds with extreme violence".
He likened the alleged May incident to the 2014 killing, saying Klobucar was accused of another "brutal and unprovoked attack" that could have had "much more severe consequences".
The prosecutor submitted that no bail conditions could ameliorate the risks posed by Klobucar.
Defence lawyer Jacob Robertson disagreed and told the court Klobucar's mother had given police an "entirely different" version of events which, "on their face, would not constitute an offence".
Mr Robertson said this account and the one alleged by police were "diametrically opposed" and Klobucar had already pleaded not guilty.
He also rejected the comparisons with the 2014 killing, saying the two incidents involved "completely different scenarios".
The lawyer added that the car alleged to have contained the methamphetamine did not belong to Klobucar.
Magistrate James Stewart described the case as "a very unusual matter".
"No matter where the truth lies, there is an element of vigilantism in these allegations," he said.
Mr Stewart added that it was "illogical" that a person with a history of "killing someone" would be invited into a home to discuss an allegation of child abuse, which was what Ms Leclair claimed had happened on May 30.
The magistrate also noted that Klobucar had been subject to a good behaviour order, which had not stopped his recent alleged offending.
"So, what difference will bail make?" he wondered, saying there was an "extreme" risk the 33-year-old would again "hand out justice in his own form".
"It's a demonstrated risk," Mr Stewart said.
"It's previously resulted in the death of a member of the community and, in my view, bail should be refused."
He accordingly remanded Klobucar in custody until the 33-year-old's next court appearance on July 26.
