A notorious Canberra criminal's desperate quest for bail has been dealt another blow after a magistrate shut down his third attempt at freedom.
Matthew James Massey, whose criminal history was once described as reading like a "Greek tragedy", has been in and out of the ACT Magistrates Court for months making his case.
The 44-year-old vehemently denies allegations he went into a Flynn house "under cover of night" last September, stabbed occupant Steven Ceissman in his sleep, threatened another resident with the same fate and stole cash out of a wallet.
Throughout his bail applications, he's argued he wouldn't have gone into the house "like an idiot" without a balaclava and that he doesn't "muck around" with knives.
Most recently, his lawyer Paul Edmonds argued Mr Ceissman couldn't be scared of Massey because, at the time of the alleged attack, he was the sergeant-at-arms of Canberra's Satudarah bikie gang chapter.
"It's frankly laughable that the strongman or enforcer of an outlaw motorcycle gang is claiming to anyone [if he is] ... that he cannot protect himself," Mr Edmonds said last week.
But Magistrate James Stewart wasn't convinced on Friday.
He said even if Mr Ceissman was the sergeant-at-arms at the time of the attack, residents at the Flynn house would still be terrified of Massey given he wasn't perturbed by his title.
Prosecutors maintained on Friday Mr Ceissman had never been sergeant-at-arms of the gang, but said regardless, he wouldn't be able to call on members to protect him if Massey got out of jail.
"The fact is [Mr Ceissman] dobbed someone in and he will have no one to protect him on the outside," a prosecutor said.
The magistrate said Massey's reputation for "standing over" people, controlling people, and being violent preceded him, and prosecutors' case would be made stronger if the alleged victims gave evidence.
He suggested Massey might convince them not to, and said his character was "blemished by a significant record".
The magistrate said there was a warrant out for Massey in NSW.
Mr Stewart refused Massey bail, much to the 44-year-old's dismay. He shook his head as the magistrate relisted the matter for February 8.
Mr Stewart said Massey would ultimately go to trial over his charges, all of which he'd pleaded not guilty to: aggravated burglary, theft and intentionally wounding Mr Ceissman.
