A Deer Park man has been jailed for five years after drunkenly stabbing his neighbour in the eye after a late night argument over parking.
Van Hoa Nguyen, 46, pleaded guilty in the County Court last month to one charge of intentionally causing serious injury.
At his sentencing hearing, it was revealed that, on December 20 last year, Nguyen, a volunteer with a Sunshine Catholic Church, returned to his Montasell Avenue home about 11.30pm after drinking to excess at a wedding.
In attempting to park his car, Nguyen woke his next door neighbour, Vladimir Orellana, who told the court he heard a thud at the front of his house that sounded like two cars colliding.
Going outside, Orellana noticed Nguyen’s Toyota Camry reversing into his vehicle, hitting the rear door on the right side.
Orellana told Nguyen: “Hey, you’ve hit my door”, before asking another neighbour to take some photos of the damage.
The court heard Nguyen “appeared intoxicated and did not seem to realise what was going on”. He told his niece, who also lived at his property, that he had hit someone’s car, and needed a knife, which he grabbed from the kitchen.
She tried to stop him, but he brushed her aside, and eventually took a swing at Orellana with the knife, striking him in the eye.
Neighbours came out onto the street during the struggle.
Nguyen was arrested shortly after by police.
Orellana, a graphic designer, was left with lacerations to his chest, right arm and a five-centimetre laceration of his left eye.
A doctor told the court there was a high chance that he will continue to lose the remaining vision in his left eye.
Nguyen told police he did not intend to hit the victim in the eye.
Justice Irene Lawson said Orellana was no longer able to play soccer or table tennis after the attack.
“You now accept that matters escalated out of control when you went into the house to collect the knife and then you stabbed your victim.”
Nguyen will be eligible for parole in three years.
