A teenager who stabbed his stepfather and killed him to stop him from strangling his seven-year-old sister has been found guilty of manslaughter.
The 18-year-old from Girrawheen in north Perth, is now facing a prison sentence after stabbing his step-father 25 times.
But his lawyer told the court in Perth he should not go to jail as he was defending himself and his sister.
The 18-year-old from Girrawheen in north Perth, is now facing a prison sentence after stabbing his step-father 25 times
The teenager was due to be sentenced at the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Thursday.
But a judge has decided he needs more time to pass sentence because of the unusual nature of the case.
The court was told the man killed had a long history of violence towards several family members including his wife, two teenage step-sons and daughter.
The eldest step-son, aged 17 at the time of the killing in September 2016, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by excessive self-defence, WA Today reported.
When he was killed, the court heard, he had returned home at around 7pm after an all-day session downing eight or nine full strength beers with friends.
Hearing her children screaming, the man told his wife that he ‘hadn’t done anything’ before her daughter emerged to tell her the man was choking the youngest boy, 13.
Forensic detectives were brought in to investigate the crime scene after the man was stabbed 25 times
The case is being heard at the Supreme Court of Western Australia in Perth
She then found him strangling the boy again in the shower before telling her: ‘You wanna see me choke someone? This is what choking looks like.’
A tussle broke out between the wife and the man as he started to strangle the little girl in her bedroom.
The eldest son heard and witnessed the attacks on his siblings, ran to his room and pulled out his ‘Bear Grylls’ knife and unleashed on his step-father, stabbing the man a total of 25 times.
Most of the wounds were to the man’s chest as he turned to attack the boy as he stabbed him before collapsing on the floor.
His family said outside the court they wanted ‘justice to be done’ as prosecutors urged the judge, Justice Joseph McGrath to impose a custodial sentence.
Bernard Standish argued his actions had been ‘completely disproportionate’ to the events he had seen earlier in the evening.
But a psychiatric report commissioned by the court itself had found the teenager poses no risk of reoffending.
The court heard he had shown extremely high levels of remorse for his actions.
The 18-year-old will be sentenced on Wednesday, February 21.