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A WOMAN told a jury how she kicked a man’s head as he lay on the ground taking punches from her ex-partner.
Jacqueline Yates appeared as a witness at the County Court in Ballarat yesterday, on the second day of the trial of her ex-partner, Christopher Marra.
Marra is charged with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury and making threats to kill.
Ms Yates said on January 30 last year, another ex-partner of hers, Wayne McKay, attended her home to drop-off some property.
She said soon after he came inside the house, Marra appeared and asked to see Mr McKay outside.
The court heard Marra then “rugby tackled” Mr McKay and began punching him.
Ms Yates said she noticed a knife in Marra’s hand and yelled “don’t do it”, before she joined the attack by kicking Mr McKay in the head.
She explained she believed Mr McKay had earlier stolen a guitar – the same property he was returning.
Earlier in the trial, Mr McKay gave evidence that Marra had stabbed him in the hand during the struggle.
From the witness box, he said he was assaulted soon after entering the house and seeing Marra.
“The next thing I know, he was assaulting me,” he told the court.
“I put my hand up to defend myself ... I felt a pain in my hand ... I knew I had been stabbed.”
He said he was being “pummelled” by Marra and tried to scramble towards the door, before two friends arrived and helped him get away.
Marra’s defence questioned Mr McKay as to whether he actually saw Marra with a knife, to which he replied: “I saw his hand lunge at me ... it doesn’t take a genius to know what’s going on.”
Yesterday’s defence highlighted differences in Ms Yates’ account and an earlier statement she provided police.
A police witness, Leading Senior Constable Michael Watts from Bacchus Marsh Police, is currently giving evidence.
The trial before Judge John Carmody continues today.
