Man lucky to be alive after horrific Werribee stabbing

A man who allegedly left his victim on life support after a grisly stabbing in Melbourne’s west chillingly told police the man “got what he deserved”.

Melbourne man Tommy Tukiwaho has asked for bail after he allegedly repeatedly stabbed a man in Werribee in August. Picture: Facebook

A man who allegedly attacked and almost killed another man in Melbourne’s outer west has had another stab at bail.

In a case of second time’s a charm, Tommy Tukiwaho faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, February 9, for a second bail attempt after he was denied freedom by the same court in December.

Wyndham detective Senior Constable Natalee Ryan opposed bail, telling the court she believed the New Zealand citizen was a danger to his victim and an unacceptable risk of skipping the country if freed.

But Tukiwaho’s lawyer David Carolan said new evidence had come to light to show his client could reside with his mother in Carlton.

He also told the court Tukiwaho had no criminal priors and there was no evidence to suggest he would not comply with his bail conditions if released.

The court heard Tukiwaho visited a friend’s Werribee home on August 31 last year in the midst of Melbourne’s strict Stage 4 lockdown.

He was there for barely half an hour before he and another visitor at the home started arguing outside the property.

Tukiwaho returned to the house where he allegedly grabbed three kitchen knives and a cricket bat and followed the man to a waiting car outside.

Then, as the car attempted to drive away, Tukiwaho allegedly smashed the back passenger door where the victim was seated and allegedly stabbed the man twice to the torso and once to the chest.

Tommy Tukiwaho was now receiving medication to stabilise his mood, his lawyer told the court. Picture: Facebook

The victim was rushed by the car’s driver to Werribee Mercy Hospital in a serious condition where medical staff performed four rounds of CPR.

After emergency surgery, the man was then flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where he was put on life support for five days.

Sen-Constable Ryan told the court the victim was no longer in hospital but required further surgery for his injuries.

She also told the court Tukiwaho was treated for a cut to his head soon after his arrest, allegedly caused by the victim hitting him in the head with an axe.

Sen-Constable Ryan told the court she held serious concerns for the victim’s welfare if Tukiwaho was freed.

Tukiwaho allegedly told to police he wanted to kill the man and told her he “got what he deserved”, she told the court.

“I just wanted to hurt him, miss. I wanted to cut his f — g ball sack off,” Tukiwaho allegedly told police.

“If he comes at me with an axe again, I’m going to kill him.”

Mr Carolan told the court his client’s next court date wasn’t until May and he’d already spent 123 days on remand.

Mr Carolan told the court there were “real issues” with the prosecution’s case, including providing concrete evidence his client was the one who stabbed the victim.

He also submitted his client was now receiving schizophrenia medication, which had stabilised his mood.

Magistrate Mia Stylianou adjourned the matter for Friday, February 12, where she denied Tukiwaho’s bail request.

She told the court she was not convinced Tukiwaho would have the right level of family support or support from community programs to ensure he stayed on his medication and did not reoffend.

She also told the court that should Tukiwaho plead or be found guilty, he’d likely be handed more time behind bars than he’d already served.

Tukiwaho is due back at court in May.