Argument led to stabbing

A 21-year-old Waimate man claimed he was only trying to scare a man with a knife during an argument in the town, but ended up stabbing him in the arm.

Eden Anthony Sheehy was sentenced to five months’ home detention, to be served in Dunedin, by Judge Tom Gilbert in the Timaru District Court on Tuesday, having pleaded guilty in October to charges of wounding with intent to injure and male assaults female.

Sheehy’s disagreement with the man and his, then pregnant, partner had been sparked from argumentative messaging between the two men which escalated when the couple arrived at Sheehy’s address and ‘‘commenced yelling at him from the street’’, the police summary says.

An argument involving the three took place outside the house, before Sheehy went inside and picked up a knife with a blade of about 15cm.

Sheehy went back outside, firstly shoving the woman, causing her to go backwards into rubbish bins before continuing to walk towards the man who had seen the knife and was moving backwards towards his vehicle.

‘‘Sheehy continued to follow him and stabbed . . . under his left arm.’’

The pair went to the Waimate Medical Centre before the man was transported to Timaru Hospital’s intensive care unit, but the stab wound did not require surgery.

The defendant ‘‘stated that he was just trying scare’’ the man, according to the summary.

Judge Gilbert said the presentence report accepted that Sheehy still has some challenges at times with mental health and doesn’t leave his house much.

‘‘The report suggests you would struggle with most sentencing options. A sentence of home detention is appropriate and probably the only viable sentence.’’