A Wangaratta man has appeared in court over a alleged botched insurance job which left him and a co-accused running down a Wangaratta street half-naked and on fire.

The 27-year-old appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday via prison link for a sentence indication.

The court heard a 36-year-old Wangaratta man had allegedly been asked by an owner of a Holden Captiva to dispose of their vehicle so they could submit an insurance claim.

A week later on the night of 11 January last year the 36-year-old and the 27-year-old were driven by another man in his Toyota Avalon from a Dixon Street address, where they were allegedly seen packing the vehicle with supplies.

Various CCTV footage tracked the vehicle to Cambridge Drive where the two masked offenders exited the car with a jerry can and went towards a Swinburne Drive home.

With the keys given to them by the vehicle’s owner, the pair allegedly broke into a Swinburne Drive home by smashing a glass window where the Captiva was parked.

A nearby witness heard the commotion and confronted the pair from the front yard, while they splashed petrol over the Captiva.

The accused then allegedly ignited the accelerant which caused the vehicle to explode.

While the vehicle burst into flames, both men caught on fire, with the accused running to an adjacent park with his right leg on fire.

He rolled around on the ground until it was extinguished.

His co-accused had his entire left side of his body alight and was seen running to the same park, tossing clothes and stomping on the ground.

The court heard he was almost naked running down Swinburne Drive holding his clothes as the pair fled.

“Run, run, the jacks will be coming for sure,” one of the accused said.

An off-duty police officer heard the initial screams from the fire and saw the pair running down the street.

Police and emergency services arrived and seized several items from near the burnt-out car including a lighter and a melted container.

CCTV footage of the incident was released to the public by Wangaratta detectives in their efforts to identify the masked accused.

The 27-year-old would be arrested on 28 January 2025, where police found he had matching burn marks on his right leg to the fire in the video.

The court heard the accused was also charged with threatening a witness during a contested hearing on 4 March this year involving a breach of an intervention order.

The witness was the accused’s ex partner who he allegedly had been showing intimidating body language towards during the hearing.

As the magistrate left the court, the accused allegedly shouted at the victim.

“Looks like I’m coming to Middleton next,” he allegedly said.

The victim took the comment as a threat on her brother’s life, as it was where he had been incarcerated.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Stuart Pritchard said the accused had made prior threats to the victim’s brother, which were sharply denied by the accused in court on Wednesday.

“I never f***ing said that you rat,” he said.

The victim was visibly shaken after the alleged threat on 4 March and court was stood down for the day, before she re-appeared for the hearing online on 5 March.

The accused allegedly gestured hand signals at her.

He was found guilty in the contested hearing and sentenced to 23 months jail, eligible for parole this past week.

Defence counsel Geoff Clancy said his client denied making the threats towards the victim and the court would need to “draw a long bow” to connect the alleged comment to a threat towards the victim’s brother.

Led Sen Const Pritchard said the alleged threat was an egregious breach which left the woman clearly upset.

“It warrants no less than a prison term on its own merit,” he said.

Mr Clancy said the burning of the car was an insurance job and his client had been given access to the house and the vehicle they were charged with robbing.

“This is someone who wanted their car burned,” he said.

The court heard the accused was also involved in the aftermath of a $300,000 burglary at Sessions Asphalt on 29 September 2024, allegedly helping one of the thieves escape after they crashed a stolen truck into a tree on Reith Road.

Magistrate Megan Casey said she needed time to consider the matters and adjourned her sentence indication to 10 June at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court.

The co-accused of the Swinburne Drive arson is in custody and also faces gun and drug trafficking charges.

He will return to court on 11 June.