Stabbing was never intended, man says

A MAN on trial for stabbing a friend in the back says he grabbed knives to chase away an angry relative and never meant to injure him.

Anthony William Catchinda is on trial in Townsville District Court accused of doing grievous bodily harm to Adam Cobbo on July 4, 2017.

An alternate charge of unlawful wounding will be considered if the jury find him not guilty of grievous bodily harm.

Catchinda gave evidence yesterday that he and a relative Ethel Brady fought during the evening and that later she returned to his house and broke a garden table with a metal stick.

“I could hear Ethel swearing... I heard a big bang,” he said. “I got up, opened door, got my guitar, went downstairs.”

Catchinda said he swung the guitar at Mr Cobbo and Ms Brady, who was holding an iron bar, and then he went back inside and grabbed two knives.

“Ethel kept on coming, she had the bar ready to strike me... I moved back and Adam came from the side,” he said. “He stepped in the way... I must have stabbed him, I didn’t even know I did it, it happened too quick.”

Catchinda said he meant to scare Mr Cobbo and Ms Brady away.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane suggested Ms Brady tried to hide behind Mr Cobbo but Catchinda said Mr Cobbo was beside Ms Brady and “he got in the way”.

“Like he said he didn’t know he was stabbed, I didn’t know until I saw the blood,” he said.

Witness Priscilla Sibley said she had walked to Catchinda’s place with Mr Cobbo and Ms Brady, who called to Catchinda for about 20 minutes.

She told the court she walked away down the street.

“I remember going back up the road ... he was bleeding so I just put my arm there until the ambulance arrived,” she said.

The trial continues.