Sage Hotel: Dylan Ford admits stabbing Jake Simmington with beer bottle in Australia Day brawl
A South Coast man has admitted to a violent Australia Day stabbing, after he attacked another man with a beer bottle during a brawl outside a popular hotel.
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A south coast man has admitted to a violent beer bottle stabbing outside a popular Wollongong hotel, sparked by a dispute over the theft of a mobile phone at an Australia Day Party.
Dylan Ford, 27, pleaded guilty to reckless wounding and affray at Wollongong Local Court, after stabbing Jake Simmington in the stomach with a beer bottle following an all-in brawl outside the Sage Hotel.
In documents tendered to the court, it was revealed the brawl broke out after a small Australia Day party at a CBD apartment on January 26.
Mr Simmington was drinking and playing music with five friends on his Stewart Street balcony, when a group of men, including Ford, called out from the balcony of the neighbouring Sage Hotel.
Around 6pm, the Mr Simmington and a female friend went for a walk and ran into Ford, engaging in a friendly chat with him, and inviting him up to their apartment.
Ford and one of his friends entered the apartment, where they stayed for the next 30 minutes. When they left, one of the women in the apartment realised her phone was missing, triggering the violent chain of events.
Ford told the woman that if one of his friend’s had stolen the phone, he would “fight his own boys”, before pulling out a pair of knuckle dusters, and taking a knife from the kitchen and putting it down his pants before confronting his friends at the Sage.
Ford switched to defending the group from the unit to his mates when a violent brawl broke out.
According to the documents, Ford was seen pulling out a knife, causing one of the women to yell “he’s got a knife”.
Mr Simmington wrestled the knife from Ford’s hands, however Ford picked up a smashed beer bottle and stabbing Mr Simmington in the abdomen, causing the Sage Hotel to go into lockdown.
Police and paramedics arrived shortly after and Ford was placed under arrest. Police searched the 27-year-old at the scene where they allegedly found knuckle dusters and 1.91g of methylamphetamine.
He was taken to Wollongong Police Station and charged, while Mr Simmington was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
Ford was refused bail the day later on January 27 and has remained on remand in custody since.
He will return to the District Court for sentencing at a later date.