Bob James Buchanan pleads guilty to role in Southport stabbing

A father of five has learned his fate for his role in a violent confrontation on a suburban street that left one man with “imminently life-threatening” injuries.

A man was left with life-threatening injuries after a violent stabbing on a Gold Coast street that was sparked by a dodgy car sale.

Bob James Buchanan took two other men with him to Southport on July 17, 2023, to try to get his money back for a stolen vehicle he had unknowingly been sold.

Southport District Court was told Buchanan was met by a man – different to the one he had been expecting – and he and his accomplices surrounded him as Buchanan demanded they go to his original contact’s house.

Violence broke out when Buchanan was pulled to the ground by the other man, with his two co-offenders launching their own assaults on their target.

The victim was stabbed four times during the struggle, suffering what were described in court as “imminently life-threatening” injuries. He sustained significant blood loss and internal injuries, requiring emergency surgery and a three-day stint in hospital.

The court was told Buchanan did not stab the victim or know about any sharp implement being used, but had formed a “common unlawful purpose” to inflict serious physical violence as the altercation unfolded.

The 34-year-old’s two accomplices had never been identified, it was heard.

Defence barrister Nick McGhee, instructed by Rawlings McShane Lawyers, said the victim had been the one to escalate the situation and that there was no evidence Buchanan knew the extent of the man’s serious injuries.

Mr McGhee said the incident was the catalyst for the father of five to seek treatment for his complex post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, which had gone unchecked for most of his adult life.

“My client having to serve any time at all is not only a significant deterrent for him, but it’s a matter where there will be repercussions for his family,” he said.

Judge Deborah Holliday said she accepted Buchanan’s offending was linked to his mental health diagnoses, and that he was remorseful and was undergoing psychological treatment with good prospects of rehabilitation.

Buchanan pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm.

He was sentenced to three years’ jail with parole release on February 8, 2025. He was also ordered to pay $3000 in compensation.

Originally published as Bob James Buchanan pleads guilty to role in Southport stabbing