A MAN accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls and then breaking into their Windale home and repeatedly stabbing their father in the face and chest has applied for bail, claiming the only evidence against him comes from a family who "has reason to dislike him".
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Jason Eric McGovern, also known as Jason Lanesbury, appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder, two counts of contravening an apprehended violence order and five counts of child sexual and indecent assault.
Mr McGovern applied for bail, with his solicitor Gillian Jewison telling Magistrate Robert Stone that other than the alleged identification from the five family members inside the home, there was no other independent evidence placing Mr McGovern at the scene.
"There was no DNA found, no fingerprints, nothing else independent outside of the family members that places Mr McGovern at that location at that time," Ms Jewison said. "Obviously the family has reason to dislike Mr McGovern as a result of the previous allegation. They have reasons for them to say it was him."
Ms Jewison also pointed to a witness who spotted a car, dissimilar to Mr McGovern's vehicle, speeding from the scene of the stabbing and a statement from another man that may provide Mr McGovern with an alibi for that night.
Regardless, Mr Stone rejected the bail application, saying the attempted murder involved "extreme violence" and the police case appeared "reasonably strong".
Mr McGovern, a truck driver, is accused of jumping a fence at the rear of a property at Windale about 1.40am on March 8 and then using a knife to cut through a fly screen on a window at the back of a home.
He then allegedly entered the bedroom of a 49-year-old man and closed the door behind him.
Mr McGovern, who police say had a hooded jumper covering his head and was wearing yellow gloves, is accused of turning on the light and then stabbing the man three times in the chest and once in the face.
The alleged victim put his arms up to protect himself and started screaming, waking a woman and three children inside the home.
The woman told police she opened the 49-year-old's bedroom door and saw him lying on his back, his arms up over his head and a large amount of blood on the bed.
Mr McGovern allegedly fled the home on foot.
Police arrived a short time later and asked the 49-year-old man who was responsible for the attack.
Detectives allege he replied "Jason McGovern", who police say was a former neighbour of the man and, up until recently, regularly socialised with the family.
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