4 days ago
'Barking dog dispute' turns bloody as three people are allegedly stabbed in a quiet NSW street
A long-running neighbourhood feud over a barking dog has allegedly erupted into a violent stabbing that left three people in hospital.
A heated argument allegedly spiralled into a bloody knife fight just after 4pm on Monday in Gossimer Close, Killarney Vale, on the NSW Central Coast.
The dispute allegedly began when a 23-year-old woman arrived with her grandmother to discuss an ongoing problem with local dogs.
She started speaking to Alicia Wright, 33, and her partner, Nathan Scanlan, 20.
Minutes later, the quiet cul-de-sac transformed into a crime scene, with more than 20 police and emergency vehicles flooding the street, as paramedics tended to the three injured.
'I have never seen anything like it,' a shocked neighbour told the Daily Mail. 'We heard all this yelling outside and then Alicia hit the ground hard.
'She plays NRLW and is a tough girl, but you could hear the thud up the road.
'It was awful.'
'Then other neighbours started running into the street and tried pulling everyone apart.'
Neighbours allege Scanlan, who only recently moved into the area, arrived at the scene just as the confrontation escalated.
They said Scanlan and Ms Wright, a mother-of-two, only began dating last month.
'He is Alicia's new boyfriend and he turned up just as it started,' another witness said.
'This argument over dogs has been going on for a while now, but it's not either of their dogs,' one neighbour added.
'It involves a family from the other street, but someone keeps walking their dog past their house.
'They have had enough because it sets all the dogs in the area off and they came up to try to sort it out.
'In the end, Nathan and Alicia and the member of the other family all got taken to hospital.'
The 23-year-old was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital with critical injuries, while Ms Wright was taken by paramedics to the same hospital in a serious condition.
Scanlan was arrested and taken to Gosford Hospital in a stable condition, where he remains under police guard, a NSW Police spokesman said.
By Tuesday morning, police confirmed both women were in a stable condition.
A pink pocketknife is believed to have been found in bushes near the crime scene.
'The police came back again at about 7.30pm that night and searched the area and Alicia's house,' a neighbour said.
'There was blood everywhere, even smeared up someone's wall, it was such a mess.'
On Tuesday morning, the street was quiet except for one resident hosing bloody stains from their front steps.
Another neighbour, who handed her CCTV footage to police, said she was 'traumatised' by the events.
'It was just awful,' she said. 'There were kids out here and everything.'
Police have since charged Scanlan with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (in company), possessing a prohibited drug, affray, and driving while disqualified.
He was refused bail.
Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
