A 'disenchanted' old man was seen stepping out of his car with a shotgun before firing it twice at a sex worker standing outside a Melbourne brothel, a court has heard.

CCTV footage shows a puff of dust erupting from the wall where the first shot struck the Romantics brothel at Brunswick. The woman can be seen ducking for cover in the driveway.

Domenico Natale, 88, then allegedly fired a second shot in the sex worker's direction as she fled inside about 10am that Friday morning in July 2017, the court heard.

Domenico Natale (pictured), aged 88, will appear at the Melbourne Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for a committal hearing regarding allegations that he attempted to shoot a sex worker in Melbourne in 2017

In the past, the defence has said that Mr Natale (pictured left and right) may have been seduced by the younger sex worker through her text messages before the incident

Natale shot himself in the stomach during his arrest later that day but survived and was charged with attempted murder.

The octogenarian was ordered to stand trial on that charge on Tuesday at the conclusion of a committal hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Defence lawyer Simon Moglia said the shooting came after a breakdown in a relationship between Natale and the sex worker.

'There was a rejection and clearly Mr Natale was upset by it,' he said.

'There was clearly disagreement or a parting of ways between them.'

Mr Moglia had argued that an intention to kill could not be established, saying the first shot was fired higher than the woman's head.

'No jury could distinguish between whether this was an intention to scare or an intention to harm,' Mr Moglia said.

But after viewing vivid footage of the incident, magistrate Carolyn Burnside found there was sufficient evidence to send Natale to trial.

'There has been CCTV footage which indicated the two shots fired from the double-barrelled shotgun followed the movements of the victim,' she said.

The magistrate said text messages sent by Natale provided some insight into his mindset before the alleged shooting.

'There is evidence before me which is indicative of a high level of disenchantment, disappointment and aggression,' Ms Burnside said.

'There's an element of seduction on the part of the sex worker,' defence lawyer John O'Sullivan told the court on January 30 in a previous hearing of allegations against Mr Natale (pictured)

Ballistics experts found lead shotgun pellets strewn at the scene and later examined the gun allegedly used by Natale.

The court was told it was a 12-gauge double-barrelled shotgun and the cartridges fired would generally be used for hunting small game.

'It was a bird shot size,' Leading Senior Constable Darren Watson said of the pellets.

'Particularly for larger birds.'

The expert said shotgun pellets spread after firing and the weapon is often used for hunting moving targets, like birds or small mammals.

'Shotguns come from a time where people used to hunt to survive,' he said.

Natale is due to face the Supreme Court on Thursday for a directions hearing.

Romantics is a Melbourne adult business, located in the northern suburb of Brunswick.

On it's website, the business claims to be 'a leading Melbourne establishment providing a first class service in Brunswick for over 25 years.'

Romantics advertises services offered by 'exquisite' ladies from 'China, Korea, Japan and many other countries' and advertises rates that start at $95.