Joseph Vervoort granted bail after night of MDMA, LSD ends in alleged stabbing
A young man accused of an early-morning, drug-fuelled stabbing in North Wollongong has been granted bail after his alleged victim died suddenly from unrelated causes.
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A 22-year-old man accused of an early-morning, drug-fuelled stabbing has been granted bail after his alleged victim died suddenly.
Joseph Vervoort was granted bail at Wollongong Local Court this week, after he was arrested at a North Wollongong home in February following an alleged stabbing with a kitchen knife.
Vervoort faced Wollongong Local Court on a charge of on Thursday, where the court heard his alleged victim had recently passed away of causes unrelated to the stabbing.
His defence lawyer Justine Hall argued the alleged victim was the only witness to the altercation and that as a result, the case against Vervoort was not as strong as it once was.
“The issue of self defence will be raised (as the case progresses),” she said.
“The strength of the (police) case has significantly weakened.”
In documents tendered to the court, police allege the altercation took place after Vervoort and his girlfriend spent the night of February 22 at the popular Towradgi Beach Hotel, before leaving and taking MDMA and LSD.
The pair had been home for about an hour-and-a-half, when police claim the alleged victim showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s home around 4.30am, following a night out with his friends.
Police allege when he arrived, Vervoort armed himself with a kitchen knife, before stabbing his girlfriend’s ex in the lower abdomen.
In court documents, police allege the man started bleeding heavily, before fleeing the home. Once outside, it’s alleged he called his friends Courtney Unwin and Gus Muehlbauer, who arrived some minutes later, armed with a metal pole and wooden chair leg.
In court documents, police allege the pair called for Vervoort to come outside the house, to which he refused, prompting the pair to allegedly smash the front windows of the home, and then the windscreen and windows of Vervoort’s car.
Police then allege the trio left the scene, and police were called. Upon their arrival, police allegedly found Muehlbauer walking nearby, who alerted them to his injured friend as he drove past.
Due to the nature of his injuries, he was stopped by police and NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to the scene.
Police then attended Vervoort’s girlfriend’s home, where they allege in court documents he tried to flee, running to the rear of the house and into the backyard before he was arrested.
He was taken to Wollongong Police Station and charged with reckless inflict grievous bodily harm. Muehlbauer was arrested some hours later and charged with malicious damage for his role in the damage to Vervoort’s car.
On Thursday, the court also heard that since the incident Vervoort and his girlfriend had broken up, and that she no longer lived in NSW.
Magistrate Jillian Kiely agreed to grant Vervoort bail, on the conditions his father deposit a $5000 surety and that he live with him, as well as a set of other strict conditions.
The matter will return to court in June.