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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National

Man guilty of stabbing intruders in domestic violence home invasion

A man stabbed two intruders after a domestic violence-related home invasion at his house earlier this year, a court has heard.

The 25-year-old was found guilty in Muswellbrook Local Court on Monday of two counts of reckless wounding and common assault, as well as one charge each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intimidation.

The man was self-represented when he faced a hearing, after he declined to request an adjournment to allow more time for his Legal Aid application to be processed.

The court heard he stabbed a 48-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy - who were allegedly two of the three people who broke into his home in what court documents described as a domestic violence-related incident on the night of July 8.

The group is accused of turning the power off to the Muswellbrook property before they allegedly smashed their way in.

It was the man's former partner, her brother, and her mother who allegedly broke into the house, the court heard - it was the brother and mother who were stabbed.

File picture

In a recorded interview with police, played in court on Monday, the man described being alerted by lights outside his home as he was trying to sleep on his living room floor.

He told investigators three people smashed their way inside and assaulted him, and threw his phone to the ground while he was calling police for help.

"I thought it was life and death now," he said.

The man told police he grabbed a small knife during a scuffle in the kitchen, before he escaped outside to hide behind a nearby car.

As the group left the home and gathered near another vehicle, the man approached them before a second altercation began - during which the woman was stabbed in the chest and the teenager suffered a knife wound to his leg.

CCTV footage played to the court depicted the boy screaming that his leg had been injured, saying "I've been stabbed".

The man, who claimed he was acting in self defence, told police during the interview that the teenager was armed with a large pole and the woman had used a brick to break into the house.

The woman and boy were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators interviewing the man a few hours later said it appeared he was the "victim" up until he set upon the group following his initial escape - that he took matters into his own hands when he did not need to.

The Herald previously reported that the injured woman was charged with aggravated break and enter, damaging property, common assault, stealing property and intimidation.

The teenager was charged with aggravated break and enter.

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