No DNA link between NRL young gun Manase Fainu and stabbing

Manly Sea Eagles hooker Manase Fainu cannot be tied to a horrific church stabbing through DNA, a court has heard.

There was no DNA to tie NRL young gun Manase Fainu to a church stabbing and he had the finger pointed at him because of his fame, a court has heard.

Mr Fainu, 24, is fighting allegations he stabbed Faamanu Levi in the back with a steak knife during a wild brawl outside a Mormon church dance nearly three years ago.

The Manly Sea Eagles hooker has pleaded not guilty to wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after Mr Levi was stabbed in the back near his shoulder blade and cut above his right eye.

Mr Fainu’s trial has entered its final stages and during closing submissions on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Emma Curran pointed to two key eye witnesses, one of which said he saw Mr Fainu stab Mr Levi.

Mr Fainu, during his evidence, said he played no part in the brawl, which took place between two parked cars outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Wattle Grove in Sydney’s southwest.

NRL player Manase Fainu says he played no part in a wild brawl in a church parking lot. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Mr Fainu said he was approximately 10 to 12m from the fight between his friends and another group of men when he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.

He had undergone shoulder surgery a month earlier and on the evening of October 25, 2019 had his left arm in a sling.

Tony Quach said he saw Mr Fainu stab his friend Mr Levi and was able to identify him by his sling.

During his evidence, Mr Quach said Mr Fainu had not started the fight but “he ended it” by stabbing Mr Levi.

“Manase Fainu jumped over a fence into the grounds of the church, he was with four of his friends and the group of them approached Mr Levi and his friends,” Ms Curran said.

“A brawl broke out and when things looked like they were getting out of hand, Mr Fainu pulled out a knife and plunged it into the back of Mr Levi, causing a wound that punctured his lung and caused internal bleeding.”

CCTV footage shows Manase Fainu jumping a fence into a Mormon church shortly before a wild brawl. Picture: Supplied

Mr Quach said he saw Mr Fainu with an angry look on his face and a knife in his right hand and his arm bent at a 90-degree angle.

It is not in issue that Mr Fainu was in the carpark, his left arm was in a sling, and there was a brawl during which Mr Levi was stabbed before Mr Fainu scaled the wall once again and ran to his car.

However, the identity of Mr Levi’s attacker is in dispute.

Ms Curran said another man, Kupi Toilalo, said he saw a man approach him and his friends with his left arm in a sling holding a knife.

Faamanu Levi was stabbed in the back following a brawl at a Mormon church dance. Picture: Shannon Tonkin

Tony Quach said he saw Mr Fainu stab a man in the back. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles.

Mr Fainu told the jury on Monday that he was “scared” because he knew he could not defend himself if he became involved in the fight.

He said he went to the church because his friend Uona “Big Buck” Faingaa was seeking to recover money owed to him by a man.

The court was told that before the brawl, two of Mr Fainu’s friends were involved in an altercation on the dance floor and were asked to leave.

Mr Fainu said he left the church grounds as his mates were being escorted out, apologising to a security guard as he left.

Mr Fainu is fighting allegations he stabbed a church youth leader in the back. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles.

CCTV footage showed Mr Fainu and four of his friends shortly afterwards jumping a fence from a Coles carpark back onto the church grounds.

Mr Fainu testified that he had told his friends that he would go inside to collect Mr Faingaa’s money by himself; however, they followed him over.

The crown has relied on the CCTV, saying it made no sense for Mr Fainu to climb the fence, while in a sling, to get back into the church when he could have walked back in the front gate.

However, defence barrister Margaret Cunneen SC also pointed to the video.

It showed Mr Fainu throwing his sling, as well as a white towel he was wearing on his head, over the fence as he jumped back into the Coles car park before running to his car.

However, she said, no knife was thrown over by Mr Fainu, suggesting it was not in his possession.

“The sling was taken by police … The sling was examined for DNA,” Ms Cunneen said.

“There is no blood in it, no DNA except Mr Fainu’s. He’s holding it; he’d have to be holding the knife as well. And the knife must have blood on it. But there’s no DNA on the sling.”

She said it “defies credulity” that Mr Fainu would stab anyone given his standing in the community and he had no quarrel with anyone at the dance.

“Mr Fainu has really suffered by his position as a football player,” she said.

“It was easy to blame it on him because some people knew him and the sling stood out.”

The trial will continue on Thursday when the jury is expect to retire to consider its verdict.