A New South Wales Supreme Court judge has found Conrad Lardner, 51, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter over the stabbing death of his 39-year-old cousin David Vale in South Kempsey on March 1, 2023, with sentencing set for November 13.
NSW man found guilty of manslaughter over 2023 cousin stabbing
A New South Wales Supreme Court judge has found Conrad Lardner, 51, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter over the stabbing death of his 39-year-old cousin David Vale in South Kempsey on March 1, 2023, with sentencing set for November 13.
Mr Vale was found with stab wounds on Robert Eggins Street in South Kempsey and died within 15 minutes. The court heard Lardner stabbed Mr Vale twice — once to the lower side of the chest and once through his rib cage and heart.
Lardner was arrested on May 17, 2023, and charged with murder. He was initially refused bail but was released on conditional bail on November 11, 2023. The judge-alone trial began on June 29 at Port Macquarie Supreme Court and ran for four weeks.
Justice Campbell said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lardner's 'voluntary act' caused Mr Vale's death, but found there was insufficient evidence to prove intent. 'The fact the accused stabbed twice with a knife provides some evidence of intent to inflict serious grievous bodily harm,' he said, while noting: 'I accept it is possible he armed himself with the knife, but there is no real evidence that supports the possibility, other than having the opportunity to do so.'
Justice Campbell noted that all 20 witnesses who gave evidence during the trial, including Lardner himself, were 'contradicted, discredited and challenged' by prior statements made to police or to other witnesses. He said he was satisfied the deceased had developed a grievance over the supply of what Justice Campbell described as 'inferior quality drugs which did not give him the desire he wanted,' and rejected the account that Mr Vale had purchased drugs from Lardner on the morning of the stabbing. Justice Campbell further said he did not accept that Lardner had never supplied drugs to Mr Vale.
The Crown case was that during a scuffle outside the home, Lardner went back into the kitchen and retrieved a knife before stabbing Mr Vale twice. Defence barrister Dennis Stewart argued Lardner acted in self-defence and that he had picked up a knife that fell out of Mr Vale's pocket.
- The source does not state what maximum sentence Lardner faces for the manslaughter conviction.
- The source does not state the full basis on which Justice Campbell rejected the self-defence argument.
- The source does not state whether the Crown indicated it would seek any particular sentence.
- The source does not state the conditions under which Lardner had been held on conditional bail since November 11, 2023.
- The source does not establish what forensic or physical evidence, if any, was presented regarding the knife's origin.
Read the original at ABC News Australia