The 20-year-old, who also sustained injuries to his arm which may result in permanent nerve damage, told the Otago Daily Times he felt lucky he had not been killed.
The defendant, also aged in his 20s, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to wounding with reckless disregard, a charge that carries a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment.
A Crown summary of facts revealed the victim was socialising with friends in Dunedin’s CBD on September 27, when they left a bar and headed down an alleyway off George St.
As they talked loudly, the defendant opened a window above the group and told them to leave.
When they showed no signs of moving on, the man armed himself with a large kitchen knife and walked downstairs to the street.
The confrontation "quickly turned into a heated exchange during which the defendant announced ‘I have a knife’," the court heard.
The defendant lunged at the man and during the ensuing tussle the victim was wounded twice on his right arm and once in the chest.
The man told the ODT the sequence of events was a blur.
"I was a wee bit drunk before then, so I remember leaving the pub and then pretty much just waking up on the ground," he said.
Court documents described how, as emergency services rushed to the scene, the stabber ran back to his residence and took refuge inside.
He later admitted to police he had armed himself with a knife, but claimed he had not intended to harm the other man.
At the hospital, the victim was found to have two 3cm wounds to his arm, which were closed by an orthopaedic surgeon.
The final injury was more precariously placed.
A cardiothoracic specialist had to be called in to treat the victim and discovered the knife had penetrated the man’s chest to within 2cm of his heart.
"I mean, I was pretty out of it, so I wasn’t really realising what sort of happened. But I never felt bad for myself as much, just more for my girlfriend and my family for hearing that," the man said.
He described hearing the news he came just centimetres from death "surreal", but said it was the wound to his arm, which damaged his radial nerve, that was most impactful.
"I just can’t pick up my wrist or my fingers and my thumb ... it’s just floppy pretty much," he said.
His carpentry apprenticeship had been put on hold since the incident and he was now coming to terms with the possibility he may not play rugby again.
It remained "wait and see" as to how his arm recovered and there may be more surgeries on the horizon, he said.
When asked how he rationalised his experience, the victim told the ODT he tried to remain positive.
"I don’t know. I’ve just sort of moved on, really. I don’t need to dwell on it too much," he said.
"I’m lucky that I didn’t die."
The defendant’s name suppression was continued until his sentencing hearing in May.
He has been remanded in custody until then.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
