Woman stabbed tenant

Press, 12 November 1981, Page 5

Woman stabbed tenant

A woman who stabbed her tenant in the back, while he was at the stove preparing his evening meal in his flat, admitted in the District Court yesterday a charge of assaulting him with intent to injure. The defendant, aged 51. a housewife, was scheduled to have been tried by a jury yesterday on this charge, and an alternative charge of injuring the man with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, on June 30. She had been committed for trial on the two charges, which she had denied, after a hearing of depositions of evidence of prosecution witness on September 2. Upon the defendant’s plea of guilty yesterday to the charge of assault with intent to injure the prosecutor (Mr N. W. Williamson) said the Crown would not proceed on the alternative charge. Judge Fraser remanded the defendant to November 25 for sentence and continued the interim order for suppression of her name. He granted renewed bail of $5OO in her own recognisance. Mr S. G. Erber appeared with Mrs D. Orchard for the defendant. At the preliminary hearing prosecution evidence had been that the complainant, aged 56, who had known the

defendant for 15 years, rented a house and adjoining “granny flat” owned by the defendant. About six weeks before June 30 the defendant said she had sold the house she was living in, and was moving to the house which the complainant shared with another man. The other tenant moved out and the complainant moved to the “granny flat.” The complainant then arranged to move elsewhere because the "granny flat” was too small and also they had had “the odd row, periodically.” He thought their being so close could lead to further rows, and that it would be best to get out. He gave her a week’s notice after he found other accommodation. The defendant did not want him to leave and suggested that with planned alterations the flat would be bigger. He told her he had made up his mind, and was leaving. The complainant said he arrived home from work at 6.45 p.m. on June 30 and was preparing a meal at the stove when he heard the defendant walk through the house. The lounge door opened and he felt a thump on his back.

He had no idea what had happened and turned to face her and in doing so he saw in a mirror that a knife was sticking out of his back. He could not move his left arm but removed the knife with his right arm. He asked her what she did that for and there was still complete silence. He told her he had to get outside, and made his way to a neighbouring house for assistance. The complainant said it was rather frightening. It was not so much the pain. He was waiting for the defendant to say something but she said nothing. He took the knife from his back and turned to face the defendant and she just looked frightened. The complainant said that on the day he gave the woman notice she telephoned to the flat, asking him to stay in the* flat and then telling him she was going to kill him. He thought it was a joke. She continued saying this until he became rather scared. Medical evidence was given that the complainant was admitted to hospital with a stab -wound in the left shoulder area of the back, and a collapsed lung, which soon responded to treatment.