Ricky Martin, 25, given 10 years prison for stabbing man with ‘Rambo-style’ knife outside Todd Tavern

A young father could be spending as little as six years behind bars, after he was sentenced for a stabbing which the judge says involved a ‘Rambo-style’ knife. Find out more.

Todd Tavern in Alice Springs. Picture: Kevin Farmer

A young father could be spending as little as six years in prison – and at most a decade – for stabbing a man with a “Rambo-style” knife outside an Alice Springs pub.

Ricky Martin, 25, was sentenced in the Alice Springs Supreme Court for fatally stabbing a 32-year-old man in June 2023.

Martin pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter days before his sentencing.

The court heard Martin – originally from Willowra – was part of a dispute between family groups from Yuendumu and Willowra.

The family dispute came to Alice Springs and escalated outside the Todd Tavern in Alice Springs on June 1, 2023, the court heard.

The young father, who was 23-years-old at the time of the stabbing, armed himself with a “Rambo-style” hunting knife before heading to the Todd Tavern, Justice Meredith Day Huntingford said.

Justice Meredith Day Huntingford has been appointed full-time to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory. Picture: Supplied

Martin arrived at the tavern with the knife – which had a blade approximately measuring 150mm by 35mm – and stabbed the 32-year-old man in the back of his right thigh, Justice Huntingford said.

“The knife penetrated (the man’s) thigh to the depth of at least 9.5 cm perforating his femoral vein,” she said.

“He immediately started bleeding profusely.

“He was taken to the Alice Springs Hospital and was pronounced dead at 4.15pm. His blood loss was estimated to be three to four litres.”

At the time of the stabbing, the 32-year-old was fighting with some of Martin’s family members, the court heard.

In the wake of the stabbing, Martin fled the tavern, wrapping the knife up in a jacket and handing it to a 10-year-old boy, the court heard.

The knife is yet to be located, Justice Huntingford said.

Martin was arrested hours after the stabbing, and has been in custody since, the court heard.

Alice Springs Supreme Court. Picture: Katie Hall

In sentencing Martin, Justice Huntingford said he is in a “good relationship with no violence” with his partner, who he has been with since 2017.

The couple have a four-year-old son, who the court heard has health problems with his kidneys and suffers from asthma.

His partner, mother, and grandmother provided references to the court, with his grandmother calling Martin a “good father and husband” in her reference.

Justice Huntingford said Martin had a limited criminal record, consisting “largely of regulatory offences” and did not have a history of violent offending.

Justice Huntingford said Martin came from a “background of childhood deprivation”.

“I accept that exposure to domestic violence and alcohol abuse was part of your childhood,” she said.

Martin got a 25 per cent discount on his sentence due to an early plea to the stabbing, which Justice Huntingford said showed an “acceptance of responsibility and some evidence of remorse”.

She sentenced Martin to 10 years in prison, with a non-parole period of six years.

He will be eligible for parole in 2031.

Originally published as Ricky Martin, 25, given 10 years prison for stabbing man with ‘Rambo-style’ knife outside Todd Tavern