The United Australia Party's candidate in a key Victorian seat will be able to cast his election ballot in person on Saturday after being freed on bail.
Ingram Spencer is running in Higgins, a long-held Liberal seat that looks to be in play this election.
He's facing more than a dozen charges including using a carriage service to harass and persistent breaches of court orders.
After refusing to leave his cell on two previous court dates, the Malvern man did appear by video link from prison in Moorabbin.
Wearing a green prison tracksuit, he sat and flicked through pages of court documents.
It's alleged Spencer used a carriage service to harass a woman between January and April this year.
He's also accused of persistently breaching court orders over that period.
His lawyer Lily Yan said any prison sentence he might receive if found guilty of the charges would be unlikely to exceed the three weeks he has already spent in custody.
Spencer told the court he intends to contest the charges, hoping to take the case to the High Court.
"I've just met Lily Yan today - I really like her so I might want to work with her in the future, but I wanted to represent myself because I actually know quite a lot about the law," he said.
"The reason I'm appealing this is actually on a constitutional basis, it's why I wanted to appeal to the High Court."
Spencer said he wanted to "make an interpretation of our constitution".
His case has been adjourned until June 15.
"Moorabbin Magistrates Court is the appropriate venue," magistrate Martin Grinberg told him.
Earlier on Wednesday Spencer defended his decision to refuse to appear in court on previous occasions, describing himself as being kept in "solitary confinement".
Prisoners are required to undergo 14 days' COVID-19 quarantine on arrival at Victorian prisons.
Spencer said he had no water in his cell for four days and had been unable to brush his teeth, shower or flush the toilet.
"I was in no position to prepare for any kind of a court proceeding," he said.
"It's quite unfair to even suggest I should have appeared before now."
Australian Associated Press
