Jarrad Drayton (pictured right), 19, agreed to meet 18-year-old Aiden Lewis in Court Lane behind Wesley Uniting Church on the afternoon of September 23 last year so the pair could sort out their dispute.

Lewis later told police he believed the pair were meeting for a "one-on-one fist fight".

However Drayton produced a knife with a 20cm blade and stabbed Lewis in the stomach before fleeing the scene.

Lewis was assisted by members of the public and treated by paramedics before being taken to Wollongong Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a perforated colon and bleeding in the stomach.

When interviewed by police, Lewis said he was in a relationship with Tahlia Pftizner for several years before the pair split briefly, and she became intimately involved with Drayton. The pair soon broke up and Ms Pftizner resumed her relationship with Lewis.

However, Drayton continued messaging Ms Pftizner asking for them to get back together, prompting Lewis to organise for the two to meet.

CCTV footage from the guest house where Drayton was staying at the time showed him taking a kitchen knife from the home and wrapping it in a clear plastic bag before heading to the agreed meeting point while wearing a bandana over his face.

Lewis tried to punch Drayton when the pair came face to face but was stabbed as Ms Pftizner and another man, Steven Firman, watched on.

Later that night, officers raided Drayton's boarding house home and a balaclava, cap and a black jacket.

Police arrested Drayton two days later nad has been in custody ever since.

He pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm in Wollongong Local Court last week.

He was granted strict conditional bail after arguing his asthma put him at greater risk of infection if COVID-19 became widespread in NSW jails. He will be sentenced later this year.