Joshua Stephen admits to ‘extreme’ machete attack in home invasion
A “drug f***ed” former junior rugby league star, hacked off a bit of a man’s ear and left him to bleed to death after a horrifying home invasion in a quiet suburban street.
Canberra Star
Don't miss out on the headlines from Canberra Star. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Navy chopper pilot ‘AWOL in Hawaii’ during bushfire crisis
- Former international fugitive Haider Ali guilty of rape, indecency
- Top rugby union player Simon Vunilagi guilty of leading gang rape
A machete wielding home invader hacked a man’s arms down to the bone in an “extreme”, “drug f***ed” attack, before leaving him to bleed to death, a court has heard.
Joshua Robert Stephen, 36, faced the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday where his victim told the court he would likely suffer from the physical and mental effects of the attack for the rest of his life.
“You attacked me with a machete … you left me to bleed to death,” he said.
Stephen had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, attempted car theft, recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm and unauthorised possession of a prohibited firearm and driving a stolen car.
Stephen’s victim had to have his ear glued back on, and has been through repeated surgeries and months of physiotherapy in an attempt to fix the damage to his arms and hands.
Justice David Mossop said it was an “unfortunate” task to flick through graphic photos of the victim’s injuries.
Crown prosecutor Keegan Lee described Stephen’s frenzy as “extreme … sustained attack with a machete”.
The court heard Stephen was a top former athlete and was on track to play for the Canberra Raiders until he started taking drugs at age 19 to cope with his ADHD.
He had also been a champion motocross rider.
Court documents show Stephen “came into possession” of pristine condition Mazda MX5 and a set of keys to another sports car, both stolen from his victim’s house.
Stephen was armed when he and an unknown woman snuck into the victim’s home on July 30 last year, where he and the woman ransacked the house before trying to make off with the second sports car.
The sound of the car starting woke the victim, who came out of his room and saw the duo before locking himself inside and trying to call the police.
Just as he was making the call, Stephen came at him with the machete, landing blows on his face, arms and hands.
The victim tried to defend himself with a tomahawk, but dropped it because it became slippery with blood.
In a recorded phone call from prison, Stephen blamed himself for being behind bars, telling a woman “I know I’ve f***in’ done this” and “I’m lucky I’m not on worser charges”.
“They’re probably using this right now for evidence.
“It’s because of how drug f***ed I was, and I wasn’t myself.”
Justice Mossop will sentence Stephen on Thursday.