An Indigenous inmate severely bashed within hours of being locked up in the Alexander Maconochie Centre has been sent back to prison, despite warnings that he may be killed.
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A court found Steven Freeman, 24, posed an unacceptable risk to the public if released, describing him as a "one-man crime wave" whose alleged dangerous driving had already seen a teenage girl suffer a serious back injury.
Freeman has been in hospital since being bashed in an almost-fatal attack in prison last week, surviving largely due to the efforts of AMC staff who provided first aid, and doctors at the Canberra Hospital.
The attack happened just hours after he was remanded in custody on charges of disqualified and drink driving, riding in a stolen car, possessing an offensive weapon with intent, and escaping arrest.
He suffered critical injuries and was placed in an induced coma for almost a week. It is now feared he may have brain damage, and he requires further surgery on his nose.
His mother, Narelle King, gave evidence on Thursday of being told of the attack, which left her son almost unrecognisable.
"I just put the phone down and jumped straight in the car and drove to the hospital," she said.
"I didn't recognise my son when I walked past his bed."
Freeman was discharged from hospital on Thursday, and brought immediately to the ACT Magistrates Court for a bail application, his injuries still obvious.
Ms King said she had received a phone call warning her son would die if he went back to the AMC.
She told the court she could look after him if he was bailed.
"I'm very fearful for my son's safety because I know he's not going to be walking out of there," she said.
But police, represented by Constable Gary French, described the AMC as the "safest place" for Freeman.
Constable French gave evidence that police were preparing to charge Freeman with stealing a series of cars, and driving them dangerously, often while drunk.
He said Freeman had recently crashed and caused a 16-year-old girl to suffer a broken back, requiring the use of a neck brace and a chest plate. On another occasion, he allegedly ran a red light on a motorbike while drunk and crashed.
The officer also said he was concerned Freeman wouldn't seek treatment for burnt hands, which police allege he suffered while torching a car, if he was not in prison.
In cross-examination, Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Dean Rutherford asked how the officer could be concerned about Freeman not getting treatment, while being happy to send him back to a jail where he was "bashed viciously to within an inch of his life".
Mr Rutherford told the court that Freeman may be killed if he is sent back to prison, and that the risk of him reoffending could be managed by an effective home detention and other strict bail conditions.
The prosecution said the danger Freeman posed to the public outweighed other factors, something Mr Rutherford strongly rejected.
"They're asking you to balance the likelihood that this person might be killed against the likelihood that he might get behind the wheel of a car," he said.
In denying Freeman bail, Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said there were risks for him both in and out of custody.
Ms Walker said there was no evidence of who Freeman's attackers were, and whether they were still behind bars.
She likened his alleged activities to a "one-man crime wave" and said he posed a significant risk to the community.
"There is a real risk both ways, whether in custody or out of custody," she said.
Ms Walker said AMC staff were now on notice to protect Freeman, and said they were better placed to offer such protection than his 54-year-old mother.
Freeman was remanded in custody, and he is expected to appear again next week, when fresh charges may be laid.
The court did not mark him a prisoner-at-risk, despite the bashing and evidence of threats of self-harm.
