Unanderra ‘knifeman’ Walid Youssef stands trial on attempted murder charge

Walid Youssef allegedly stabbed Micky Chicharo three times with a steak knife, believing he was police informant “dog”.

Micky Chicharo was stabbed on July 24, 2018.

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A man accused of trying to murder another man with a steak knife at a Unanderra home last year has faced the first day of trial.

Walid Youssef, 27, stands accused of stabbing 45-year-old Micky Chicharo three times and leaving him fighting for life, after an argument over whether Mr Chicharo was a police informant.

Youssef, is fighting the charges however, claiming he was not inside the Unanderra house that night, and that Mr Chicharo incorrectly identified him as the culprit.

But in an opening address to Wollongong District Court on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor David Scully said the stabbing was allegedly motivated by Youssef’s belief that Mr Chicharo was a “dog”- or informant to the authorities.

The court heard that around 4pm on June 24, 2018, Mr Chicharo attended a friend’s home at Unanderra, where they planned to “watch TV and have a few beers”. But Mr Chicharo’s plans came undone when Youssef arrived at the home and confronted him.

Day one of the trial was held at Wollongong District Court on September 10. Picture: Steven Bell.

“Mr Chicharo recognised Mr Youssef from a long time ago and greeted him,” Mr Scully said.

“The accused had it in his head that Mr Chicharo had provided information to the authorities and said ‘put your head down when you talk to me, you dog.’”

Mr Chicharo allegedly told Youssef he ‘wasn’t a dog”, before the pair engaged in a “scuffle”.

The Crown told the court Youssef called on Mr Chicharo’s friend, Cameron Kelly to “give me a knife”, but he refused. It was then alleged Mr Chicharo proposed he and Youssef take the fight into the yard, out of respect for Mr Kelly’s home.

Mr Chicharo claims he was walking outside when Youssef allegedly grabbed a steak knife with a six-inch blade from the coffee table and stabbed him in the stomach.

In giving evidence on Tuesday, Mr Chicharo told the court the pain was unlike anything he’d ever felt.

“I was out of breath. I can’t explain the feeling,” he said. “It just took all the breath out of me. I fell to the ground.”

The Crown alleged Youssef stabbed Mr Chicharo twice more in the chest before hovering over him with the knife, before Mr Kelly said “I promise he won’t snitch you”.

Mr Chicharo told the court Mr Kelly “tied a shirt around him” to stop the bleeding, before driving him to Wollongong Hospital for treatment.

Micky Chicharo was taken to Wollongong Hospital after he was allegedly stabbed at a Unanderra home.

After Mr Chicharo presented to the hospital, police began investigating the circumstances around the stabbing.

The Crown told the court Mr Chicharo initially lied to police about who stabbed him, fearing what would happen to him if he dobbed Youssef in.

“He was too scared to tell police what had happened,” Mr Scully said.

“So Mr Chicharo made up a story about being stabbed by a random male in Unanderra after picking up some firewood.”

After investigations, police knew Mr Chicharo was lying and urged him to tell the truth, eventually telling them Youssef was the culprit.

In addressing the court, Youssef’s defence lawyer Sean Fraser told the court there was no dispute over the fact Mr Chicharo had been stabbed, but said there was a dispute over who stabbed him.

“The issue in this trial is the circumstances surrounding [the stabbing],” he said.

“And whether Mr Chicharo has correctly and truthfully identified Mr Youssef as the person who stabbed him.”

The trial continues.