A 23-year-old man has been charged and today faced Southport Magistrates Court after a 20 year old man was stabbed in the abdomen in Varsity Lakes on Sunday afternoon.
A fight is alleged to have broken out between the pair and it is reported that Mr James Smith who has been charged after the incident was with two other individuals when the altercation took place.
Mr Smith has been charged with grievous bodily harm and threatening violence after the altercation. The victim is in a stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery on the wound to his abdomen.
Grievous bodily harm is an indictable offence that must be dealt with in the District Court and carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
Threatening violence is a summary offence that carries a maximum penalty of 2 years imprisonment unless the offence occurs at night in which case the maximum penalty is then 5 years imprisonment.
Queensland is seeing high numbers of offences involving knives and not all of them are violent crimes. It is becoming more common for younger people to be caught with a knife in their possession. These young people say they have the item for protection, however they will be facing a criminal charge for the possession of the knife as it is illegal to be carrying a knife in a public place. This includes whether it is being used or not.
A knife can be transported in your vehicle, however it must be stowed in the boot of your car during transit. It is not lawful to carry a knife for self-defence purposes.
If you are caught with a knife in your possession for no lawful or emergent reason you can be charged under section 51 of the Weapons Act 1990 (Qld). The maximum penalty for this offence is either a fine of 40 penalty units or 1 year’s imprisonment.
If you have been charged with any of the offences listed in this article you should seek legal advice.
Our team specialise in criminal defence. Our role is to sit down with you and work out the strategy that will get you the best possible result. If you have any questions about this article or any other topic of law, please call our team of experts on 1300 066 669.
