Court considers self-defence argument in Boxing Day stabbing trial
Woman accused of murder argues she acted in self-defence after her father physically restrained her and threatened to kill her.
A woman who was 16 when she fatally stabbed her father on Boxing Day 2022 is on trial for murder in South Australia's Supreme Court. The woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder, and the court will hand down a verdict later.
The stabbing happened in her father's Adelaide home in the early hours of December 26 after she became significantly intoxicated. The woman's lawyer argued she did not intend to kill her father, and that she may have acted in self-defence or excessive self-defence.
The court heard her father physically restrained her on a couch and threatened to kill her if police did not arrive. Evidence showed her father said "do it" when she threatened to stab him.
She was 20cm shorter and was backed into the kitchen, feeling threatened. The judge will decide whether this amounts to self-defence, excessive self-defence, or murder.
- 16 years old
- Age at stabbing
- Early hours of Boxing Day, 2022
- Date and time
- She was 20cm shorter than her father
- Height difference
Why it mattersThe case tests how Australian courts interpret self-defence claims when the accused is intoxicated and was physically threatened by the victim.
AustraliaThe trial highlights how Australian courts determine whether self-defence applies when an intoxicated person uses fatal force against a physical threat.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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