‘Shoved a fork in his head’: Homeless man’s shocking confession

A homeless man confessed he had ‘f**ked some bloke up in his house and shoved a fork in his head’ only hours after a deadly assault.

A homeless man has been jailed for more than six years over a fatal assault in which he claimed he “f**ked some bloke up in his house and shoved a fork in his head”.

Rodney Stephen Rose, 54, appeared in Lismore Supreme Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Steven Hadley Ponton, 54, in February 2022.

The court was told Mr Ponton invited Rose into his apartment on Tamar St in Ballina, in northern NSW, where they shared a meal and drank wine before an argument arose.

Rose punched his host several times in the face and then kicked him in the head after the man fell to the ground.

Rodney Stephen Rose was jailed for more than six years at Lismore Supreme Court on Friday.

The court was told Rose sliced Mr Ponton’s face with a three-pronged fork, which was later found in a pool of blood on the loungeroom floor.

Less than an hour later, Mr Ponton was found lying on the ground in a nearby lane, covered in blood with deep gash on his head and a “gushing” wound on his chin.

Justice Richard Weinstein said the evidence appeared to show the two injuries occurred after Rose left the apartment.

Mr Ponton was rushed to hospital and died the next day.

Hours after the assault, Rose told an acquaintance that he “f**ked some bloke up in his house and shoved a fork in his head”.

“I’ll probably go to jail,” the man recalled Rose saying.

Rose told forensic psychologist Emma Hubner he hadn’t slept in two days prior to the assault and he had been drinking, smoking cannabis, and “coming down” from meth.

Steven Hadley Ponton was found bleeding but conscious on Holden Lane in Ballina. Picture: Google

He recalled seeing Mr Ponton bleeding from his nose and mouth after the attack but said he seemed only slightly injured when he refused an offer for help and told Rose to leave.

“I’m devastated that someone lost their life,” he told Ms Hubner.

“I liked Steve. Things just escalated so quickly. I never want to be like that again.

Because of my drug use and drinking, someone lost their life.”

In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, Mr Ponton’s father said he was devastated by the “brutal and senseless” death of his son.

“He thinks about his son every day and he feels sick at the thought of what was done to him,” Justice Weinstein summarised.

Mr Ponton was a “good soul” who was “kind, generous, thrifty and had a great sense of humour”, according to a touching tribute from his sister.

“She believes (Rose) could have, at any time, stopped and spared her brother,” Justice Weinstein said.

The court was told Rose had a “lifelong experience with homelessness” and an “extensive history of drug and alcohol abuse”.

Rose spoke to police at Ballina Police Station. Picture: Google

The fact that he has criminal records in all but two Australian jurisdictions was consistent with sustained periods of homelessness, Justice Weinstein said.

Ms Hubner diagnosed Rose with severe alcohol and substance use disorder and indicated he has symptoms of other disorders including post traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Justice Weinstein accepted Rose’s mental health and background of “profound deprivation” meant his moral culpability was “significantly” reduced.

He sentenced Rose to six years and four months behind bars with a non parole period of three years and 10 months.

The sentence was backdated to his arrest on February 28, 2022 which means Rose will be eligible for parole in December.