Stefan Krecul pleads guilty to attacking parents with meat cleaver

A son who attacked his parents with a meat cleaver in a drug-fuelled rage has broken down in tears as they told a court he will always be welcome back to their Attwood home.

Stefan Krecul attacked his parents with a butchers knife and meat cleaver.

A Melbourne couple who were slashed with a butchers knife by their son after he spiralled into a drug-induced psychosis say they “forgive” him and want him to return home.

Stefan Krecul, 29, sobbed in the dock of the County Court on Tuesday after he admitted to viciously attacking his dad Sava, 67, and mum Zaneta, 63, inside their Attwood home on April 5 this year.

His mum was found by police haemorrhaging blood on their living room floor, having suffered horrific injuries to her face, chest and limbs.

But in a heartbreaking victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Zaneta revealed she “absolutely forgives” her son for what transpired that night in their suburban home.

“The final piece of healing for me will be seeing Stefan get better,” she said.

“I know that wasn’t my son that night.”

Sava also said it was not in Stefan’s nature “to do what he did”.

“Something wasn’t right with him on the day leading up and on that night,” he said.

“I want to focus on getting my family back together and making sure Stefan gets the help that he needs to get his life back on track.

“When Stefan is released, he would always be welcome home.”

Krecul could be seen grabbing tissues and wiping away tears, as he sat metres away from his parents and sister, who sat in the body of the court.

Earlier, prosecutor Anna Dearman told the court Krecul met a woman at the Gladstone Park Hotel on April 2 where the pair “hit it off” before they agreed to head to Crown Casino.

They travelled to her home so she could get dressed, but when they arrived she pulled out a glass pipe to smoke 0.1g of meth, which she offered to share with Krecul.

The pair made it to Crown Casino but upon leaving, he told her he did not feel well.

By April 4, Krecul had returned home but his family observed he was “paranoid” and “agitated”.

He disclosed to his dad that he had “smoked something” in a glass pipe with a woman, which prompted Sava to take his son to their family GP where he was given an injection and prescribed medication.

However, on April 5, Sava woke up to his son “screaming and banging” in his room.

At one point, he appeared startled by his dad’s presence and yelled at him.

“Relax Stefan, it’s me, your dad,” Sava replied.

Krecul ran downstairs and his parents followed, but they were horrified when they found him walking out of the kitchen holding a butchers meat cleaver and a butchers knife.

“I’m gonna f--king kill youse (sic) all,” he said.

Sava, a retired butcher, armed himself with a chair and pleaded with his son to put down the knives, but Krecul launched forward and struck his dad’s arm.

The retiree ran upstairs to ring triple-0 but could not unlock his phone with his fingerprint because his thumb had been sliced, so he fled the home to alert his neighbours.

But during that time, Krecul unleashed on his mum, who suffered deep wounds to her face, chest and limbs, as well as multiple fractures across her body.

She has no recollection of the attack.

The bloodstained knife was found at her feet after police arrived and arrested her son, who has remained in custody since.

While he was under police guard in hospital, Krecul said he had a “pretty f--king weird dream” and asked: “Did I hurt anyone at all?”

He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of intentionally causing serious injury.

Krecul’s defence barrister Lucinda Thies told Judge Claire Quin she should exercise “mercy” when sentencing her client given the “unique circumstances” of the case.

But Ms Thies conceded a term of imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence.

She said Krecul, who did not have a history of violence, was “devastated” by his offending and has expressed “deep and genuine remorse”.

A medical expert found his drug-induced psychosis was triggered by the meth, as well as cocaine he had also consumed.

“At the time of this offending, Mr Krecul was in the grips of a terrifying psychotic episode,” Ms Thies said.

“He was suffering auditory and visual hallucinations.”

The court heard he has “incredible family support” and good prospects of rehabilitation as he works on his mental health and alcohol addiction.

Krecul will be sentenced on December 14.