A 26-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a man multiple times in the abdomen and chest outside a Canberra pub has been granted bail by the ACT Magistrates Court.
Hayden Todkill has been in prison since March, over charges of attempted murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Documents tendered to the court said Mr Todkill had been at a birthday event for a friend, on a party boat, before the group disembarked at Kingston Foreshore and continued drinking at the nearby venue The Dock.
Mr Todkill allegedly started arguing with one of the other partygoers at the bar, before telling him "let's go outside", the documents said.
The documents revealed that when outside, the two men began fighting, with Mr Todkill falling and hitting his head and other partygoers also becoming involved in the altercation.
The court viewed CCTV footage from nearby buildings around the area where the alleged assault happened. It showed the men inside the bar before they moved outside.
The court heard there were no images or footage of a stabbing, but in one piece of footage, the other man can be seen with a wound on his chest.
He can also be heard saying, "Let's trot lads".
The court heard that members of the public were in the vicinity when the altercation occurred.
Defence says Mr Todkill was acting in self-defence
Mr Todkill's lawyer, Jacob Robertson, argued that his client was acting in self-defence and noted that at some points in the fight, he was surrounded by three people.
Mr Robertson told the court Mr Todkill appeared to be running away from the group.
Mr Robertson argued self-defence was a "special and exceptional circumstance" that justified granting Mr Todkill bail.
Magistrate James Lawton ultimately agreed with that submission.
"In my view, the issue of self-defence does amount to a special and exceptional circumstance," he said.
Magistrate Lawton also noted that while Mr Todkill initially consensually engaged in the fight, he became overwhelmed and attempted to retreat multiple times.
Prosecutor Beth Morrisroe contested claims of self-defence, on the basis that the victim was allegedly stabbed several times.
She also pointed out that Mr Todkill had gone to Nowra on the NSW South Coast after the offence, and disputed claims he had been planning to hand himself in.
"He went to Nowra to evade police," she said.
While Magistrate Lawton accepted that Mr Todkill had to be extradited to the ACT, he said he did not believe Mr Todkill was a flight risk.
The case will return to court in May.
