Sydney man Luke Harding allegedly told police Traynor Walters ‘attacked’ him moments before stabbing him to death in the Illawarra

A Sydney man accused of the stabbing murder of his mum’s boyfriend told police he was “attacked” and “choked” moments before the deceased was killed.

Luke Harding (left) allegedly murdered his mother's boyfriend Traynor Walters (right) at a Warilla address in 2022.

A Sydney man accused of murdering his mum’s boyfriend in the Illawarra told police he was set upon by the now-deceased before stabbing him five times, a court has heard.

Luke Kevin Richard Harding, of Panania, was staying with his mum in Warilla when Traynor Anton Walters died in the early hours of July 2, 2022.

Fresh details surfaced about the alleged moments before and after the 46-year-old’s death in the NSW Supreme Court last month when Harding applied for bail.

Harding, 28, pleaded not guilty to murder in Wollongong Local Court, last year, with matter to be determined in a jury trial in August.

The court heard Harding claimed he was sleeping in the lounge room at his mum’s McCabe St address when Mr Walters approached him with a knife.

Traynor Anton Walters sustained five stab wounds. Picture: Facebook

Defence barrister Scott Fraser submitted his client was acting in self defence with Harding allegedly grabbing the knife from the older man before stabbing him five times including four fatal blows to the abdomen.

The Crown case is that Harding left the room to obtain a knife before fatally stabbing Mr Walters.

“My mum’s boyfriend attacked me,” Harding allegedly said during a triple-0 call.

“He’s pulled a knife on me so I retaliated, I’m sorry.”

The court heard later in the same call Harding pleading to his mother “please mum, I don’t want to go to jail for something I didn’t have to do, I was sleeping, I was sleeping.”

Paramedics found Mr Walters shirtless in the kitchen and began performing CPR on him. He was rushed to Wollongong Hospital but could not be revived.

The court heard Harding was taken into custody where he allegedly told police Mr Walters had “attacked” and “choked” him.

“He attacked me, I defended myself, what was I supposed to do?” Harding allegedly said.

Luke Harding will stand trial later this year.

“I just reached and grabbed [the knife] and stabbed him, what was I supposed to do? He attacked me, he was choking me.”

During the bail application, Mr Fraser submitted self defence would be a “live issue” in the trial, adding there was not “direct evidence of [Harding] grabbing a knife and coming back to the lounge room”.

When asked about the number of stab wounds inflicted upon Mr Walters, Mr Fraser said that “doesn’t necessarily diminish” Harding’s self defence claim.

The Crown opposed Harding being granted bail, submitting he only mentioned Mr Walters being in possession of a knife in the triple-0 call and not to police.

Justice Sarah McNaughton denied the bail application, citing the “reasonable strength” of the prosecution case.

“In my view, the Crown case is reasonably compelling as to when the knife was obtained,” she said.

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