Gran who stabbed son-in-law Adam Coble told police: ‘I took the knife and I stabbed him, mate’
A Sydney grandmother who fatally stabbed her son-in-law in self-defence told a startled police officer: “I took the knife out of this hand … and I stabbed him, mate,” a court has been told.
Police & Courts
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A critically injured grandmother who fatally stabbed her son-in-law in self-defence told a startled police officer: “I took the knife out of this hand … and I stabbed him, mate,” a court has been told.
NSW Deputy Coroner Derek Lee delivered his findings on Wednesday into the death of Adam Coble, 40, who had discovered his wife, Robyn Coble, had been having an affair with her taekwondo instructor before he stabbed her mother, Kay Leonard, during a heated argument at his North Richmond home in 2019.
Lidcombe Coroners Court was told Ms Leonard had arrived at the couple’s house and told them “youse can’t keep fighting” when Mr Coble attacked her with a knife that she managed to turn back onto him and plunge into his chest while Mrs Coble held him in a chokehold.
Mr Lee said Sergeant Colin Williams quickly arrived at the scene after Mr and Mrs Coble’s teen daughter had dialled triple-0 immediately after witnessing the attack.
Sgt Williams found Mrs Coble holding a lifeless Mr Coble in the chokehold in the loungeroom next to Ms Leonard, who was herself critically injured with multiple stab wounds.
After Ms Leonard confirmed Sgt Williams was a police officer, she told him: “I took the knife out of this hand so that he couldn’t do any more and I stabbed him, mate.”
She was rushed to hospital and spent five days in intensive care but survived.
During a walk-through of the scene with police in March, 2019, Ms Leonard told police: “Somehow, and this is God’s truth, I don’t know how I got the knife. I don’t know whether he, because of the way Robyn was holding him, he got weaker or whatever and, somehow, I got the knife.”
Mr Lee ruled Mr Coble died from a stab wound to the chest and the manner of his death was a homicide.
However, he said there was no evidence of any premeditation in the killing and that his conclusion did not suggest any offence had been committed.
“This episode of interpersonal violence … was spontaneous in nature, having escalated from a verbal argument between Adam and Robyn,” Mr Lee said.
“The manner of Adam’s death is therefore homicide.
“It should be emphasised that … this conclusion does not indicate or suggest in anyway that an offence has been committed by any person.“
The court was told Mr Coble had been charged with a domestic violence-related offence in December, 2018, and police had taken out an AVO against him to protect Mrs Coble.
Friends had said their relationship was “toxic” and they often fought when they drank together, the court heard.
No charges have been laid in relation to Mr Coble’s death.
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