A young drug addict who stabbed two men during a frenzied, late night attack outside a Helensburgh house has been granted strict bail to go to rehab.
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Mobile phone footage of the minutes leading up to the shocking incident was aired in Wollongong Local Court this week as Benjamin Thompson applied for bail, six weeks after he was arrested by police and remanded in custody.
In the video, Thompson can be seen wielding a metal pole while yelling foul obscenities and homophobic slurs at one of the men, including telling him "you're the most hated c--t in the street".
"Come down here, I'll smash you ... I'm gonna cut your head off you little maggot," Thompson can be heard yelling out to the man, who appears to be standing on the porch of the Merrigong Place home.
"You're a f--king dead man, you little f--king fa--ot c--t."
The video last for about two minutes.
Court documents reveal Thompson arrived at the home sometime after 2am on February 21, allegedly armed with a large steak knife.
He allegedly smashed windows on an Alfa Romeo parked in the driveway, prompting the owner of the vehicle and a second man to come out of the house.
The verbal exchange followed, during which time Thompson allegedly stabbed both men in the chest.
One of the victims fled the scene while the other remained at the home.
Police arrived a short time later to discover the first victim sitting on the front steps of the home, clutching his chest and trying to stop the bleeding.
Officers then heard a groan from behind a nearby car. On investigation they discovered Thompson lying behind the vehicle, with blood all over his face.
Ambulances were called and transported both men to Wollongong Hospital.
Meanwhile, the second victim ended up in the main street of Helensburgh, where he contacted a friend, who took him to hospital for treatment.
Thompson was arrested upon his release from hospital the following day.
He was charged with two counts of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count each of being armed with intent, property damage and common assault.
When interviewed by detectives,Thompson allegedly made some admissions but claimed he had no memory of inflicting any stab wounds that night.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Ben Bragger opposed Thompson's release on bail in court, claiming the case against the 19-year-old was a strong one.
"If he's convicted, there's absolutely every chance he will get a full time custodial sentence of some length," he said.
Defence lawyer Laura Fennell said Thompson had been gainfully employed until the pandemic hit and had since developed an addiction to methamphetamine.
She said Thompson was seeking release on bail to attend a nine-month program at the Wayback Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre in Harris Park.
Magistrate Michael O'Brien granted bail on the condition Thompson attend the rehab centre for the duration of the program.
The matter will return to court for plea or mention at a later date.
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