David James O’Toole found guilty of stabbing a friend 19 times with a screwdriver in an unprovoked attack

In the garage of a northern suburbs home a man was stabbed with a screwdriver 19 times. An hour later his attacker was interviewed by police. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Late in the evening of February 29, 2020, David James O’Toole staggered down a street in the northern suburbs.

From his mobile phone he dialled triple-0. He told the operator his name was Justin O’Toole and gave a fake phone number.

Mishearing him, the operator said “you’re a tool?”.

O’Toole yelled his last name back at the operator and told him he had just stabbed his friend with a screwdriver after being attacked.

A short distance away, the victim of the stabbing – with whom he had spent the day working on a DIY project – was being taken to hospital by his partner and mother.

He had four puncture wounds to his right hand, five to his lower back and eight to his upper back.

His left lung had collapsed during the attack while the right lung had been twice punctured.

The victim’s left kidney had been pierced and his left shoulder fractured.

He was taken from the Lyell McEwin Hospital to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for emergency treatment which included having a drain his lung for three days.

If his injuries had been left untreated for much longer, they could have proved fatal.

Talking later that evening to police, O’Toole said the victim had joked about cutting him up with an axe and had been ranting about how Covid-19 had been caused by the 5G mobile network.

However, the victim had a different and far more compelling story of what happened that night.

O’Toole stood trial in December charged with intentionally causing serious harm to the victim and assaulting the victim’s wife when she came to his aid.

Opening the trial, Ahura Kalali, prosecuting, said O’Toole’s attack on the victim had been fuelled by cannabis use.

The jury heard that the victim and O’Toole had known each other for several years.

O’Toole had been invited to the house to help the victim build a wooden frame in the garage of the property.

The men worked together for most of the day, taking time to smoke cannabis with bongs periodically.

Police would discover a small hydroponic set up in a compartment under the stairs of the property where several cannabis plants were being grown.

Around 8pm the men took a break and had a dinner of steak and chips outside with the victim’s wife.

After that, the victim returned to the garage to continue working and was joined shortly by O’Toole.

“(The victim) then felt something hit him hard on the head. At first he thought the frame had collapsed on him, then he realised it was a succession of hits to his head and the back of his body,” Mr Kalali said.

“He put his hands up to defend himself and received more blows to the shoulder, head and back.

“It was only when he felt blood that he realised the accused wasn’t punching him but was stabbing him.”

Still of video of David James O'Toole being interviewed by police.

The victim’s wife heard the commotion and came to the garage. O’Toole stabbed her twice in the arm when she tried to intervene.

“O’Toole began to calm down and started apologising, saying ‘I’m sorry’ repeatedly,” Mr Kalali said.

“The victim told him to leave and walked him through the house.”

O’Toole told police he had been defending himself when he picked up the screwdriver.

The jury rejected his version events and found him guilty of both charges.

He will face court again in March.

Court released images of crime scene from the trial of David James O'Toole who was found guilty of stabbing a man with a screwdriver multiple times. Picture: District Court