Man jailed for brutal taxi rank machete attack which left victim with partially severed arm

A SCUFFLE at a taxi rank ended with a man having his arm partially severed after he was attacked with a machete, a court has heard

A scuffle at a taxi rank ended with a man having his arm partially severed after he was attacked with a machete, a court has heard

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A SCUFFLE at a taxi rank in Alice Springs ended with a man having his arm partially severed after he was attacked with a machete, a court has heard.

The offender threw the bloody weapon on the roof of the Coles complex at night before taking his shirt off and running away from the crime scene in May.

Dennis Harold Ebatarinja, 42, pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing serious harm to his own relative who would have likely died if he didn’t receive medical treatment.

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In a victim impact statement, the man said he wanted to get his “revenge back”.

“I’m worried for my hand, I don’t know how long it will take to fix it. I now only have one good arm,” he said.

Ebatarinja was drunk when he was waiting for a taxi with his wife outside the Coles complex in Alice Springs at night.

When the victim asked for a cigarette, Ebatarinja’s wife offered him one but he became angry and said “no, this guy is my enemy”.

Crown Prosecutor Naomi Loudon said when the victim put his hands up to fight, Ebatarinja took the machete from under his pants and swung it against the victim’s arm.

“The offender ran off towards the Coles car park. He threw the machete on the roof of the complex and removed his beanie and shirt, discarding them on the ground,” she said.

Defence lawyer Tania Collins said the offending was part of a “family feud” that also involved a previous altercation where Ebatarinja was threatened with a peanut knife.

The court also heard when Ebatarinja was in primary school his father was stabbed to death in Alice Springs.

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“(Ebatarinja) certainly accepts that this is serious offending … he expressed sorrow for causing these injuries,” Ms Collins said.

Acting Justice Dean Mildren said he had to think about whether Ebatarinja would give up alcohol and violence.

“You are 42 and it’s about time you grew up,” he said.

He was jailed for three years and three months with a 20-month non-parole period.