Troy Andrew Burns: Man accused of Varsity Lakes stabbing claims 15-year-old boy ‘accidentally got cut’

A man charged with stabbing a 15-year-old boy during a Varsity Lakes home invasion has claimed in a bizarre court appearance that the teen “accidentally got cut”. READ THE LATEST

Troy Andrew Burns, 52, is arrested by police at the scene of an incident in Varsity Lakes during which a 15-year-old boy was stabbed. Picture: QPS

A man accused of stabbing a 15-year-old boy during a Varsity Lakes home invasion has claimed in a bizarre court appearance that the teen “accidentally got cut”.

Troy Andrew Burns faced Southport Magistrates Court on Friday, having now spent several weeks behind bars following his arrest.

He is charged with one count each of unlawful wounding, enter dwelling and commit, and possession of implements that had been used in relation to particular offences.

It is alleged Mr Burns was armed with a knife and a golf club when he broke into a Varsity Lakes unit about 1am on August 9.

He was allegedly confronted by the teenager inside and a struggle broke out, during which the 15-year-old was stabbed in the side of his torso.

Mr Burns was arrested at the scene and has been held in custody since.

Troy Andrew Burns, 52, is arrested by police at the scene of an incident in Varsity Lakes during which a 15-year-old boy was stabbed. Picture: QPS

He appeared via videolink from Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre when he faced court this week.

Mr Burns abruptly declined duty lawyer Ashkan Tai’s offer of representation. Mr Burns said he wanted to apply for bail after being told he was unable to be sentenced on the serious charges in a lower jurisdiction.

The Varsity Lakes man claimed he was “no threat to the community” and that there was no alleged stabbing – instead, the teenager had “accidentally got cut”.

Other bizarre claims made throughout the brief appearance included that Mr Burns had “possessions worth hundreds of thousands of dollars” in a car he could not locate, and that he had recently been both assaulted and robbed.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse decided not to proceed with the bail application, as Mr Burns had not seen any of the prosecution material or spoken with a lawyer.

“You’re charged with some very serious offences … and you really should be getting some legal advice,” Ms Dowse said.

Mr Burns is expected to be produced to appear in person when his case returns to court next week.