A man accused of bashing a neighbour has been granted conditional freedom after the alleged victim had a dream about the incident.
The alleged victim told police earlier this month he had a dream about the incident and could no longer be sure whether the accused man tried to assault him or was, in fact, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Michael John Watson, 51, was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday after the alleged victim remembered "much more clearly" he was "not involved in any way".
Special magistrate Rebecca Christensen said recent evidence from the alleged victim did not suggest a compelling case against Watson.
Watson is yet to enter pleas for charges of attempted aggravated robbery and joint commission of intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm.
"Indeed the [alleged victim] appears to not implicate [Watson] to any real extent," Ms Christensen said.
Legal Aid lawyer Edward Chen said the man was the only person to give evidence of what occurred, and there were no other witnesses.
"The [alleged victim] speculated that my client might be involved," he said.
"There is no real basis for him to think that ... he is just guessing, he did not actually witness [Watson] do any acts of violence.
"Once police began asking questions it seemed unlikely that it was Michael that pulled his legs back, it was probably [the co-offender]."
Mr Chen said the alleged victim told police he did not have any issue with Watson being released on bail.
However, a prosecutor argued that while the alleged victim's dream was an interesting disclosure, it could not be taken as solid evidence.
"Memories can change upon reflection," she said.
The prosecutor also pointed to Watson's history of violent crimes, while noting his last contact with the law was 10 years ago.
According to court documents, Watson and Drew Percival spoke with the alleged victim about purchasing drugs in June 2024 at a unit in Reid.
Police claim after the alleged victim told them he was not a dealer and could not provide them with any drugs, Percival began beating him with a metal object.
When the alleged victim tried to escape, Watson is accused of grabbing him by the legs and dragging him back into the unit.
As Watson left court on Thursday, one of his supporters yelled "c--t" at media and shouted at them to stop taking photos.
Watson is set to face court again next month.
