A 17-YEAR-OLD accused of twice stabbing his cousin in the back has argued he did so in self-defence, despite admitting to police he was never injured or even threatened by the man in the immediate lead-up to the alleged attack.
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The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is charged with stabbing his 22-year-old cousin in a dispute outside a Long Gully home on July 21.
He was remanded a short time after the alleged incident and unsuccessfully applied for bail in a Children’s Court yesterday.
Prosecuting, Leading Senior Constable Dave Somerton said the teen was an unacceptable risk of further offending if released on bail because he had a “predisposition for violence and carrying knives”.
Leading Senior Constable Somerton tendered seven pages of criminal history to the court, which included a number of armed robberies where the teen was armed with a knife or “edged” weapon.
The court heard the victim had gone to a Long Gully address to visit his brother about 8.30pm, but decided to leave when he was told his cousin was present.
Leading Senior Constable Somerton said the victim stopped to talk to his aunty before he left.
“While he was talking to his aunty, an unknown person has come up and punched him to the eye,” he said.
“He has shaped up to confront his attacker and that’s when he felt two thumps to his back which forced him to the ground.
“He has then seen the accused standing over him with a knife, saying ‘that’s what you call a real stabbing’.”
Leading Senior Constable Somerton said the victim received two stab wounds to the back, the largest of the two, just above his waist, one inch deep.
“He said the victim and his friends were making threats to his aunty and rocking her car,” Leading Senior Constable Somerton said.
“He said he was acting in self-defence when he inflicted the knife wounds on his cousin and he approached from the rear.”
The teen’s defence lawyer Luke Docherty said his client had been threatened by the complainant and his friends on Facebook in the lead-up to the incident. “His instructions are he was in fear of his life and that of his aunty,” Mr Docherty said.
“I want to paint some context to this situation. A car full of young men has come over trying to assault my client’s cousin.
“There was a scuffle and that’s when the injuries were inflicted.”
Magistrate Ian Watkins said the incident showed the youth’s “inability to deal with conflict” and “propensity for violence” and refused bail on this basis.
The case was adjourned to August 13.
