A THURGOONA boy, 14, who has allegedly admitted stabbing his father, was granted bail in the Albury Children’s Court yesterday on a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He was allowed out of custody only after magistrate Tony Murray was told the victim was leaving the family home and living elsewhere.
Police prosecutor Sgt Shannon Lewis said police did not oppose bail, but expressed concerns about the boy returning to the care of his parents at Thurgoona.
Mr Murray was told the stabbing happened after his parents had an argument in the lounge room about 1.45pm on Sunday.
The father threw a bottle at the mother and they continued to argue.
After hearing the argument, the boy went to the kitchen and got a large kitchen knife.
He approached his father from behind and stabbed him in the lower back.
The blade punctured his skin and went in about five centimetres, with the wound needing three stitches.
The parents were in court for the bail application.
“It is a very serious matter,” Mr Murray said.
But he said that thankfully the father had been discharged from hospital and was in court.
The charge is a serious indictable children’s offence, with the Director of Public Prosecutions office at Wagga likely to take it over.
Solicitor Sue Robey said the boy had recently turned 14 and was a good student.
Ms Robey sought an adjournment for the boy to get legal advice and for police to prepare a brief.
The court heard that after the boy inflicted the wound, his mother told him to ring for an ambulance.
He went to the kitchen, put the knife down and rang triple-0.
An ambulance took the father to hospital and the boy admitted to police what he had done.
The case was adjourned to May 13.