'Where are the drugs?' Alleged wannabe robber 'Doggie' accused of machete attack

A man apparently nicknamed ‘Doggie’ is accused of meeting his alleged victim in a southern Canberra car wash and then hitting him on the head with a machete after demanding, “Where are the drugs?”

Aaron Kenneth Campbell, 37, is facing a judge-alone trial in the ACT Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to charges of attempted robbery, assault and damaging property.

The complainant had been driving around Canberra in the early hours of 11 February 2022 when he received a call from a mobile number he didn’t recognise, prosecutor Caitlin Diggins said in her opening address.

She expected the complainant would say the person on the phone said, “It’s Chris, can you help us out with any stuff?”

Plans were made between the complainant and ‘Chris’ to meet at the Pit Stop Carwash in Calwell.

Ms Diggins said closed-circuit television footage showed the complainant’s car pulling into a bay in the car wash around 4:40 am before a Hyundai i30, a hire vehicle, drove forward to block the front of his car.

Seconds later, a man allegedly walked to the complainant’s car while holding a machete behind his back.

It is alleged the complainant recognised this man as someone he knew as ‘Doggie’, which the prosecution believes to be Campbell.

Campbell allegedly smashed the driver’s window of the car with the machete and demanded, “Where are the drugs?”

The complainant quickly reversed but crashed his car into a pillar behind him.

It is alleged Campbell ran at the car while the complainant climbed out of a window, then swung the machete at him, hitting him in the head and finger.

This allegedly caused the complainant immediate pain and made him bleed, Ms Diggins said.

The complainant ran from the car wash while it is alleged Campbell was seen on CCTV opening the car’s door and appearing to look inside.

The Hyundai drove away shortly afterwards while the complainant reached a service station and waved at staff to call Triple Zero.

Police and paramedics arrived and he was taken to hospital.

Ms Diggins alleged the complainant named Campbell as the person who attacked him, that he was potentially linked to the crime scene via DNA and that the mobile number used to call the complainant was registered to him.

She claimed the Hyundai had been hired to an ‘Aaron Campbell’ and police had seen Campbell walking to and unlocking the Hyundai in April 2022, then when he was arrested that May, he had a key ring from the car rental company Hertz in his bag.

Ms Diggins said this was a circumstantial case and it was her understanding that everything in the case was in issue from Campbell’s position.

When the complainant gave evidence, he claimed he knew Campbell from jail. Campbell is represented by barrister Katrina Musgrove.

The trial continues before Justice Louise Taylor.