Supreme Court hears of ongoing neighbour dispute before Caleb Adams fatally stabbed intruder

A Mornington man who has spent over three and a half years in custody after fatally stabbing an intruder in the neck in 2020 has appeared in court for sentencing submissions.

Tasmania Police investigating a body found in Carbeen Street Mornington. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

A Mornington man who has spent over three and a half years in custody after fatally stabbing an intruder in the neck in 2020 has appeared in court for sentencing submissions.

Caleb Adams, 34, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Ashton Frederick Jones, 34, on October 12, 2020, at Adams’ Carbeen Street social housing unit.

Adams, who was aged 31 at the time of the incident, had pleaded not guilty to the original charge of murder, before pleading guilty to the downgraded count in March this year.

Ashton Jones. Picture: Facebook

On Monday in the Supreme Court in Hobart, defence counsel Rochelle Mainwaring told Acting Justice David Porter that the fatal incident had occurred within the context of escalating animosity between Adams and an older neighbour.

Ms Mainwaring said that in the days leading up to the stabbing of Mr Jones, Adams had become involved in a violent confrontation with the neighbour, which resulted in threats being made against him by his adversary’s acquaintances.

Fearful for his safety, the defendant left the unit complex to stay with a friend in Colebrook for nights, before returning home to find his unit’s windows had been smashed.

The court heard that after covering his broken kitchen window with a block-out curtain and heading to bed, Adams overheard verbal threats to “burn him out” of his unit.

Ms Mainwaring said that just before 3am, her client was alerted to a rustling noise inside his unit, and realised someone was coming through the broken kitchen window.

“He said a wave of terror overcame him and he was afraid for his life,” Ms Mainwaring told the court, saying Mr Adams believed the intruder to be the person who had verbally threatened him.

“It was against that backdrop that he reacted.”

Tasmania Police investigating a body found in Carbeen Street Mornington. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

After grabbing a knife from a dish rack in the unlit kitchen, Adams used the weapon to stab once at the curtain, with the blade striking Mr Jones in the neck.

A previous court hearing was told that the knife severed Mr Jones’s carotid artery and jugular vein, punctured his right lung, and caused “copious bleeding”.

Ms Mainwaring said the defendant immediately called a friend to report the incident, then phoned authorities on triple zero.

“Someone’s tried coming through my window and I stabbed them … what else was I supposed to do,” Adams told the operator.

The court heard that Mr Jones had been heard discussing items of value inside Adams’ unit with other residents before making the ill-fated break-in attempt.

In mitigation, Ms Mainwaring said Adams had called triple zero almost immediately after the incident, and made admissions to both the operator and police.

Ms Mainwaring said her client had acted spontaneously, and had demonstrated remorse by pleading guilty to manslaughter at an early stage.

“Taking a human life is a burden, and something he will carry for the rest of his life,” she said.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Linda Mason SC, said there was no evidence that Adams gave Mr Jones a chance to respond when he approached the curtain, and that Mr Jones had not issued any threats.

Ms Mason said Adams must have understood that the person climbing through the window was exposing the top part of their body, when made the decision to strike with the knife.

Acting Justice Porter remanded Adams in custody for sentence on Friday, 14 June.