Rowen Peck sentenced over Warrnambool stabbing

The judge said it was almost as if the accused was in “a bad mood and wanted to do it”.

A judge has condemned a man for his “appalling, unwarranted act of violence” after he stabbed a man in the back with a boning knife.

Rowen Peck, 37, pleaded guilty to charges including intentionally causing injury, damaging property and attempting to pervert the course of justice in the Melbourne County Court on Friday.

The court was told Peck decided to accompany a friend who planned on confronting somebody he believed had stolen money from his grandmother on October 9, 2020.

As they left he told Peck there “was no need for violence” as the man was “harmless”.

Peck — wearing a black jumper with the hood pulled up and a black face mask concealing the bottom half of his face — and the friend arrived at the man’s Warrnambool motel room about 8.20pm.

The friend confronted the man about ripping off his grandmother, which he denied, before Peck punched him to the right side of his face.

The victim turned his back to leave but as he did, Peck stabbed him in the back with a boning knife that was about 20cm long.

He then told the victim that he would “come back and finish him” if he “said anything to the cops”, before asking for his wallet, phone and drugs.

The victim refused and did not hand anything over.

As Peck left, he remarked to his friend: “Oh f*** man, I f****** stabbed him”.

The victim required surgery to repair his liver, which had been penetrated by the knife, and continues to suffer from pain and nightmares, the court heard.

The accused was arrested three days later and while being escorting to the police cells he thrust his head into a dry wall in the interview room, creating a hole.

Between October 2020 and August 2021 recorded prison calls between Peck and two women reveal him “arranging for witnesses to be contacted and influenced in respect of the criminal charges he was facing,” the court heard.

During some calls he discussed how to stop the victim from turning up to court and in another Peck said he would “give him 40 grand”.

Prosecutor Nick Goodenough said the confrontation had “nothing at all to do” with Peck, who then stabbed a man who was walking away.

Peck’s lawyer, William Barker, submitted he had “chaotic and traumatic formative years” but would be released to live with his mother and stepfather, while he would work as a deckhand with his stepfather’s fishing charter business.

Judge Elizabeth Gaynor described the incident as “an absolutely appalling and unwarranted act of violence”.

“He was stabbed in the back for nothing, almost as if Mr Peck was in a sort of bad mood and wanted to do it.”

She referred to the victim’s “understandable” fears about his welfare when Peck is released given what happened after he was charged, but said he had taken strides towards reform while in custody and needed to be given an opportunity to “restart” his life.

Peck, who had a criminal record, was sentenced to three years in prison.

His 650 days in pre-sentence detention were reckoned as time served.