A LALOR man charged with six counts of armed robbery has been granted bail after the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court heard he needed to care for his ailing 86-year-old grandmother.
James Di Battista, 40, has been charged over the armed robbery of shops in June and August 2011, as well as four armed robberies last month in Northcote, Reservoir, Heidelberg and Fairfield.
Di Battista has not yet made a plea to the four April robberies but the court heard he denied committing the 2011 robberies.
He had been held on remand since his arrest on April 21.
Prosecutor Diana Hogan said Di Battista was an unacceptable risk to the public and should not be bailed.
She said he had been convicted of seven armed robberies in 2010 and had also failed to appear in court on seven occasions.
Magistrate John Lesser granted bail on the condition Di Battista stick to a curfew, not use drugs and report daily to Epping police.
Di Battista is to re-appear in court on July 18.
