Shocking footage shows the moment a father was left bleeding out on his driveway after being stabbed by a teenager on Christmas Day.
Father-of-three Ben Clark revealed how he tried to calm the ‘screaming’ teenager outside his home in Emu Park, east of Rockhampton on Queensland’s central Coast.
Mr Clark said the teen had turned up at his house uninvited earlier in the day, before being asked to leave.
However, he said the teen had secretly stashed a knife nearby without anyone realising.
As Mr Clark was cleaning up at the end of the day, the teen returned and started ‘screaming and yelling’.
CCTV of the confrontation shows Mr Clark trying to restrain the teen, not knowing he was armed, before falling to his knees in shock and saying: ‘He just stabbed me.’
Screaming family members are seen rushing to Mr Clark’s aid as he slumps to the ground.
Father-of-three Ben Clark was stabbed by a teen on his own driveway on Christmas Day
CCTV of the confrontation shows Mr Clark then trying to restrain the teen, not knowing he was armed, before falling to his knees in shock after the stabbing
Appearing on Today, Mr Clark revealed he was stabbed just above his abdomen and still suffers from chest pains months later.
‘Early in the evening we had a teen come to our house uninvited. He’s obviously had a large day and, long story short, he was removed from the premises and put in the car,’ he said.
‘I calmed him down and sent him home and he then returned within half an hour as we’re cleaning up.
‘I was putting out the seafood and this car pulled up. The young fellow had concealed a knife in a family member’s car, we didn’t know.
‘There was a bit of a confrontation, nothing violent. I was concerned for the child because he was extremely heightened and out of control and I just tried to settle him down.
‘He was screaming and yelling what he was going to do and I didn’t see any knife in his hand or anything.’
The father revealed he was stabbed just above his abdomen and still suffers from chest pains months later
Mr Clark’s wife Cresta said she thought her husband was going to die.
‘I was actually on the phone to our middle son who was backpacking around Germany and we were having our Christmas catch-up,’ she explained.
‘He’s just called me and I was saying there’s something going on out here. I’m not quite sure what’s happening, Dad’s just trying to settle this person down.
‘Ben sent my youngest son back inside and said that this person was threatening to kill him and stab him.
‘He was saying those words so we were listening and it all unfolded very quickly in front of our eyes.
‘I’ll never forget my husband dropping to his knees and clutching his chest and my other two sons running in to help him.
‘I thought he was going to die on the grass that day.’
Mr Clark said he was shocked by the situation.
‘It’s something that you wouldn’t expect in our little town because we love our town,’ he said.
‘I grew up here, I’ve raised my sons here. Three sons, all teenagers, now in their young 20s and this is just shocking that it’s become normalised in our children’s minds.
His wife Cresta said she thought her husband was going to die after the stabbing
‘There’s chest pain and that comes and goes and but it’s not about that.
‘It’s not about me, it’s a bigger issue for my family. It’s a bigger issue for our state and our country and our children.
‘I don’t understand how this has been normalized and how it’s okay and it doesn’t really matter which way you spin it, it all comes back to the leadership.’
Queensland is in the grip of a youth crime wave that has forced Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to launch new reforms.
She again made breach of bail an offence for young people – after dumping the offence in 2015 and rejecting a push for its return since.
Maximum sentences for stolen cars and night crimes will also be increased as well as greater penalties for those who boast about their crimes on social media.
The controversial change comes after a spate of high-profile homicides involving offenders under the age of 18, particularly in the state’s south-east, as well as constant car thefts and home invasions across Townsville, Cairns and Mount Isa.
Community groups have called for more action and reminded the public of the mothers, fathers and teenagers who have already fallen victim to the crimewave.
Cabinet has also approved a $42 million youth justice package, including fly-in police officers that can be dispatched to problem areas.
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