Former AFL umpire Troy Pannell is suffering from anxiety and depression and has been unable to contact family since his arrest for alleged theft and driving offences, a court has heard.

Pannell, 48, appeared via video link in the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday, and though the exact charges have not been publicly detailed by the court, they are unrelated to his $8.7 million fraud saga before the Victorian Supreme Court.

Unshaven, and wearing a dark sweater, Pannell did not speak, and cut a forlorn figure through the 15-minute hearing before magistrate Denise Livingstone.

Lawyer Astrid Haban-Beer, representing Pannell, said her client had been in psychiatric care.

“We have an assessment. Mr Pannell, prior to his arrest, was in hospital for 10 days after a serious car accident and a mental-health episode. So, there are some assessment materials from the Austin [hospital] and the Alfred [hospital], there is a discharge summary,” Haban-Beer said.

Pannell was involved in an accident on the Daylesford and Malmsbury Road near Wheatsheaf in rural western Victoria on June 8. His van ran off the road and hit a tree after he had failed to stop for Victoria Police, who were trying to enforce a warrant for his arrest for contempt of court. No other vehicle was involved in the crash.

He received treatment at The Alfred hospital but was arrested by police on Sunday June 15, for theft and driving offences.

“There are some significant custody issues. It is Mr Pannell’s first time in custody, he is at risk of self harm, he is currently suffering depression and he is recovering from a car accident,” Haban-Beer said.