Accused in ambos clash

Man pestered paramedics, murder trial told

PARAMEDICS urged Clifton Springs man Stuart McKnight to back off as they gave first aid to badly injured neighbour Graham Stevenson, who only minutes earlier was rescued from his burning house.

Mr McKnight has pleaded not guilty to murdering his friend and elderly neighbour Mr Stevenson last year and setting the man’s house on fire.

Drysdale paramedics Dean Stacey and David Titler were the first medicos on scene fol- lowing the May 19 house fire.

Firefighters located Mr Stevenson unconscious on the floor of his house with a carving fork lodged in his torso. They lifted him out of the burning building and the 79year-old then received initial medical attention.

Mr Stacey told the Supreme Court in Geelong yesterday how he and his paramedic partner were interrupted by a bystander who was later identified as Mr McKnight.

“We had our patient, Graham, in the back of the ambulance and a male, unknown to us at the time, came to the back doors and opened the doors up,” the paramedic said.

“That was quite odd to us. He didn’t say who he was. Generally, when people come to the ambulance and interrupt us, they’ll say who they are whereas that didn’t occur at all.”

Crown Prosecutor Nicholas Papas then asked Mr Stacey to explain what was said.

“He asked if the patient was all right. We said that he wasn’t,” Mr Stacey said.

“We asked him to step away from the ambulance and close the doors. He remained there (and did not close the doors).

“We asked him again and he didn’t respond. He then grabbed the patient by his foot and shook his foot and said for him to wake up. At that point, my partner David Titler, directly told him to step away from the ambulance.”

The court was told Mr Stevenson had suffered a fractured skull, head bruises and severe burns. He died in hospital three days after the fire as a result of those injuries.

Ocean Grove firefighter Neil Lester appeared via video link from Dublin, Ireland, to give his observations of the May 19 house fire.

Mr Lester said the first fire crews arrived within 10 minutes of the emergency call made by neighbour Lyn Yearwood.

“(Mr Stevenson) was very badly burned around the head and appeared to have what we believed to be a two-pronged carving fork stuck into his chest — the centre line of his chest — and appeared to be unconscious,” the firefighter said.

The trial before Justice Michael Croucher continues in Geelong today.