Victim lucky to be alive’ after attack

Press, 5 December 1978, Page 4

Victim lucky to be alive’ after attack

| A man who was stabbed '(twice with a carving knife after an argument staggered (on to the road and coli lapsed, the Magistrate’s (Court was told yesterday. I Eric Donald Bruce Kerr (was convicted on a charge (of assaulting Wayne Walker (with intent to injure him on r October 31. Mr J. S. Bis- - phan, S.M., remanded him Con bail to December II for a t'probation officer’s report ; and sentence. ? The defendant had originally been charged with ?. wounding the complainant, iiwith intent to cause grievtlous bodily harm. Because althis was an indictable ofs! fence the charge was amended after the evidence ijwas almost completed. Kerr ;; denied both charges. i Wayne Walker said that s(he had been arguing with the defendant. He had turned .(round when he heard his finame spoken and blood had .(spurted out of him. He had j|not seen any knife. |( He staggered to Fitzgerald ■ (Avenue, theft collapsed when (he reached the roadway. i(Someone ' looked down at (him and said “Oh my God.” (He was worried and he t (could not talk because he J had trouble breathing. Later

d in hospital he was told that ? he was lucky to be alive. 1 Cross-examined by counsel - (Mr L. M. O’Reilly) he added s that he had met Kerr at Hanmer where both were r being treated for alcoholism. . He had lived in the nextr door flat to the defendant. i On the day of the attack - they had been arguing. He i had grabbed Kerr by the a shirt and pushed him away. t(He had not wanted to get ■into a fight because Eric had -(been pretty good to him, he t said. ti He could only remember - bits and pieces" about the dispute and attack. When he - had collapsed on the road, s (“Eric” had tried to help him. e As a result of the stabbriing, the complainant suffered severe shock due to loss t.of blood, collapse of one i(lung, and a wound in the I!right Side of the abdomen, 3 said Dr K. Hickling. ii Detective W. D. Schwass I said that when he reached Fitzgerald Avenue at 4.201 ip.m. the complainant had ’.(been lying on the ground. r .i He had later inspected the II complainant’s flat and every- ’ I thing had seemed to be in s I order. When he went into ; the defendant's flat a tranrlsistor radio had been lying!

t in the middle of the floor, still going. He had then 1 noticed a carving knife with 1 droplets of water on it. t Later, when interviewed i by Detective-Sergeant J. A. . Ell, Kerr had said that he - and Walker had been at the Eastern Tavern that morning <Jo have a few beers. They ! had bought a couple of jars - of beer, taken it back to the - flats and started drinking. t The complainant had made 1 a fuss over what he was si going to have for tea, had; thrown him out of the chair,( r and they had had “a bit oft 3(an argument.” He had been! ? mad with Walker but had . not wanted to fight him. Kerr had gone inside to I - attend to tea and to get ■ away from Walker when the ( 5 latter “came crashing' ; through” and knocked him! i back. He had known the . knife was beside him and! almost as a matter of instinct! > had stabbed the complainant! I as he came towards him. He! >( thought he had stabbed him I ! twice. The defendant said that he Thad often had minor argu- ■ Intents with Walker but! '(nothing serious. He had been: >|stabbed before in Auckland! ■(and was not going to “get! [(done again,” he said.