A FATHER-of-three who inflicted seven stab wounds in a confrontation with another man will have to serve at least another 18 months in prison.
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Raoul Levi Walton was sentenced to a minimum two years and three months for the assault on New Year’s Eve, 2010, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly causing serious injury.
He had served 249 days before his bail was revoked in the County Court at Wodonga on Tuesday.
This week the court heard Walton, 30, clashed with Lee Lane after an argument over the supervision of children.
Walton left a party in London Road to go to a nearby house and complain to Mr Lane about a lack of supervision of two children playing in the street.
Mr Lane asked him to leave but instead Walton went inside the house, carrying a knife.
Mr Lane went to his kitchen and armed himself with a knife in a bid to scare Walton into leaving the house.
Three other men arrived but the court was told their identities were not known.
Walton struck Mr Lane several times with his fist, before stabbing him seven times.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Lane said he had suffered insomnia, anxiety and panic attacks since the attack, and his weight had dropped to 47 kilograms.
The court was told that none of the knife wounds damaged vital organs but Judge Roy Punshon said “there was a lot of good luck involved in that”.
“No positive evidence of remorse was tendered,” Judge Punshon told Walton yesterday, while acknowledging his guilty plea meant the victim did not have to give evidence.
Walton had an extensive criminal history in Victoria and NSW, for assaults and other violent conduct.
Judge Punshon said in sentencing he needed to consider the number and nature of wounds to the victim, the use of the knife, the impact on the victim and Walton’s history.
“Given your history, I have to be guarded about your prospects,” he said.
But he said Walton had strong family support.
“They are here in considerable numbers today,” he said of the eight people who supported Walton at court.
Walton is a father to three children — a boy, 12, and an infant, three months, with his former partner, and he became a father again in January when his current partner gave birth.
