Ramana Louise Sansom found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm over the stabbing of Andrew Peter Mackie in Yeppoon

It was supposed to be a surprise visit by a brother to his sister in the early hours of the New Year, but a fight broke out and someone ended up fighting for their life in hospital after being stabbed. Read how it unfolded here.

A family gathering in the early hours of the New Year ended with one person fighting for his life.

Ramana Louise Sansom pleaded not guilty in the Rockhampton District Court to unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm over the January 1, 2019 alleged incident, in which she was accused of purposely stabbing her uncle, Andrew Peter Mackie at a Jeffries Street, Yeppoon residence.

Judge Jeff Clarke told the jury they were being asked to decide if the stabbing was unlawful – whether Ms Sansom, who was 23 at the time, intended to stab her uncle or if it was an accident.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said the night started with Mr Mackie having drinks with family on New Year’s Eve.

Mr Mackie, a Livingstone Shire Council employee, said told the court he had been drinking at home alone. His partner Chanelle Frew had taken their children to her mother’s place in Byfield and was not expected home that night.

But she arrived home at 10pm with Mr Mackie’s brother, Chris Mackie, who had arrived on the Capricorn Coast for a surprise visit.

Andrew Mackie leaving court. Picture: Aden Stokes

Mr Mackie told the court that after midnight, Chanelle, Chris and a friend, Craig Mackay, went to visit another friend, before heading to his sister Sandra’s house in Jeffries Street.

He said when they arrived Sandra wasn’t there, but his niece Ramana Sansom was there with friends and his nephew Jakota was asleep.

The group sat around the living/dining room drinking and talking before Chris got up and punched Ms Sansom’s friend Brad “Poodles” Carter in the head as he sat on the couch, the court heard.

Poodles fled the house but another of Ms Sansom’s friends, Kaleb Smalley, was the next person Chris came to blows with.

Mr Mackie told the court Ms Sansom tried to break up the fight.

Georgia Kane, who travelled home with Ms Sansom after being at The Strand in Yeppoon and had never met Chris before, told the court Ms Sansom told the group to leave when Chris started fighting Poodles and Mr Smalley.

Georgia Kane was a witness in the Ramana Sansom trial.

Mr Mackie went to break up the fight and his group of people attempted to leave, making it to the car before Chris exited and went back to arguing with Mr Smalley on the steps of the home.

Ms Kane said Ms Sansom told her she was worried the group would hurt her friends or her younger brother.

She said while Ms Sansom was outside being yelled at by Chris, she (Ms Kane) stayed inside, the court heard.

Ms Kane said she then went into Ms Sansom’s bedroom with her after the situation had escalated with Chris threatening Ms Sansom.

“I told Ramana not to go out there because it might make the situation worse,” she said.

Ms Kane told the court she had her back to the door to the bedroom but Ms Sansom exited through a hole in the wall.

“I didn’t want Ramana to leave her room,” she said.

Ms Kane said they were frightened Chris was going to hurt them.

Ms Kane said Ms Sansom told her “I’m not going to let them hurt my baby brother” and grabbed a knife from the cupboard and then went through the hole.

Defence barrister Ross Lo Monaco described the situation as a “chaotic state of affairs with one highly irrational person who had already assaulted two people” and with many people yelling.

He said Mr Smalley followed Ms Sansom outside and tried “to act like a barrier between Ramana and the others”.

Mr Mackie claimed he walked back up the stairs to give Ms Sansom a hug as Chris kept fighting Mr Smalley, who had curled up into a ball by this point to avoid harm, the court head.

“I wanted to say goodbye and tell her (Ms Sansom) we were trying to get him (Chris) out of there,” he said.

Mr Mackie claimed he recalled passing Chris on the stairs, who was about two steps up the staircase.

Mr Mackie claimed he got about two steps away from the landing, which Ms Sansom was standing on.

He told the court Chris and Ms Sansom were yelling at each other and he called her a sl-- and a b---.

“They were saying all sorts of things to each other,” he said.

Mr Mackie said he “probably grabbed” Chris a couple of times trying to get him to the car.

He recalled Mr Smalley being about two steps down from him as he went to Ms Sansom.

“I went to go give her a hug,” Mr Mackie said.

Senior Yeppoon Senior Rugby League player Andrew 'Mac Attack' Mackie.

He claimed he moved his arms and hands in a position to do so when he felt her hand “hit” his chest.

However, Ms Sansom recalled that part of the night differently and so did her brother, the court heard.

She claimed her uncle walked up and stood next to her on the landing.

Mr Lo Monaco said Mr Sansom also recalled seeing Mr Mackie on the landing next to his sister as she yelled at people to leave.

It was as she waved her arms around and yelled for people to leave that she accidentally stabbed her uncle in the chest, the court heard.

Mr Lo Monaco said his client realised she had stabbed her uncle when she saw the knife penetrate his chest.

Ms Sansom called out to Ms Kane to call emergency services.

Ms Kane described Ms Sansom’s demeanour afterwards as being upset and still being scared of Chris, so they barricaded the door with a cupboard.

She told the court Ms Sansom stated “I can’t believe I just did that to my uncle. I stabbed Andrew.”

“She was upset, crying,” Ms Kane said.

Mr Mackie was driven to hospital by Mr Mackay, with Chanelle holding his head back to help him breathe.

The stab wound had penetrated his chest wall, leading to blood around his lungs and heart and a collapsed lung, the court heard.

He said he could not recall the trip to the hospital as he was then in a lot of pain, which he thought might have been when his lung collapsed.

Mr Mackie claimed he never saw Ms Sansom with a knife that night.

Ms Kane and Ms Sansom helped police search for the knife once they arrived and Chris was no longer a threat.

Mr Lo Monaco said this was a young woman in her own home where two people had been assaulted and she was being threatened by the person who carried out those assaults.

“All her life, she never had a problem with Andrew,” he said.

Mr Lo Monaco said Mr Mackie had helped Ms Sansom’s mother, who was a single mother most of Ms Sansom’s childhood.

The jury found Ms Sansom not guilty and she was discharged.

She was crying tears of joy outside the courtroom with her family afterwards.