An aboriginal father who allegedly stabbed two men over a dispute about noisy New Year’s Eve fireworks has told a Darwin court he was defending his one-year-old twins.
Joshua Steven Taylor, 40, was charged with two counts of intending serious harm for allegedly stabbing Daniel O’Brien and Jake Robertson outside his home in Moulden, Palmerston, on January 1.
Mr O’Brien is still in intensive care after allegedly being stabbed twice in the chest, while Mr Robertson was allegedly slashed across the stomach and collarbone, and is also still in hospital.
Mr Taylor faced Darwin Local Court on Friday where Judge Sally Ozolins heard families in the quiet cul-de-sac of Gumnut Way where watching midnight fireworks when the accused and his wife told police the noise was disturbing their children, NT News reported.
The court heard about 30 people, mainly children, where gathered in the street for New Year’s Eve, and Mr Taylor’s defence lawyer Rebecca Kriesler said Mr Taylor asked them to stop.
Judge Ozolins noted there was an allegation that Mr Taylor was “yelling and issuing threats about causing them trouble” and had an “interaction” with a witness before a violent altercation erupted on his driveway.
Ms Kriesler told the court that a group broke into her client’s yard and “many men attacked him, punching, kicking and assaulting him”, and that another man threw the first punch.
“He was acting to protect the two one-year-olds who were in the house when that mob broke into his yard,” she said.
The court also heard that Mr Taylor’s wife told police: “I felt scared. I’ve got my two kids and they’re babies, and there’s a whole group of people trying to attack my partner – like what do you even do?
“I literally couldn’t do nothing except protect my babies. There’s a whole group of them and two of us.”
But Judge Ozolins said it was alleged that Mr Taylor was securely inside his yard with “two knives lined up on the garbage bin outside” when a punch was allegedly thrown through a gate.
Ms Kriesler said there were several strong defences available, including self-defence, the defence of others and property, and asked for strict conditional bail so Mr Taylor, a stay-at-home dad and the primary carer for his twins and two stepchildren, could look after his family.
She said Mr Taylor would likely face more than six months in jail on remand before trial, and there was nothing to suggest he would breach his bail conditions.
However, Judge Ozolins said “there was nothing to suggest he was going to [allegedly] stab two people with a knife on New Year’s Eve either”, and noted Mr Taylor’s previous convictions for aggravated assault, violent conduct, resisting police, and bail and domestic violence order breaches.
She denied him bail to face court again on February 11.
Header image: Left, right, Joshua Steven Taylor (Facebook).
