A well-known dog trainer filmed herself admitting she “just stabbed some idiot” who had “pressured” her after a bloody altercation with her neighbour, a court heard.
Courtnie Alexandria Donlan, 29, appeared in Sydney Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday after being charged with five offences relating to the knife attack.
He wore a green prison-issued T-shirt and his hair slicked back in a bun as he pleaded guilty to intimidation, reckless wounding and handling a knife in public.
The remaining charges of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence were withdrawn.
Court documents reveal Donlan was walking his dogs outside his Malabar apartment building in the early hours of June 11 last year when he crossed paths with his neighbor, Aaron Holten.
The 38-year-old asked her for a cigarette and she invited him back to her apartment, where they chatted for hours over vodka and Red Bull.
According to court documents, Donlan asked his neighbor to leave late in the morning.
She later told police that Holten had pinned her against a wall and attempted to have sex with her.
Eastern suburbs dog trainer Courtnie Donlan has admitted stabbing her neighbour with a kitchen knife.
Courtnie Donlan markets herself as a specialist in obedience, puppy training, and behavior modification.
However, the facts Donlan has confirmed as true only indicate that she asked him to leave “suddenly.” Holten has not been charged with any crime.
According to court documents, as he began to gather his belongings, Mr. Holten said he saw her carrying a kitchen knife in her hand.
The dog handler held the gun high before stabbing Mr Holten in the arm he raised to protect himself.
Court documents reveal that Ms. Donlan continued to brandish the knife and advance toward her neighbor as he left the apartment.
‘Are you leaving, dammit? Go away, dammit,’ he said.
They were heard swearing at each other as they entered the communal area outside the Bilga Crescent apartment complex, where a witness saw Ms Donlan pointing her knife at her neighbour.
The witness told police that Mr Holten threw a basket of dirty laundry at the dog trainer, but she did not stop and “continued to attack him”.
The altercation lasted about 15 minutes and ended after Mr Holten threw a rock in Donlan’s direction.
He then ran for help after realizing he “was in bad condition,” according to court documents.
Medical records show the 38-year-old man suffered a 1.7cm deep stab wound to his upper right arm, a puncture wound to his chest and a 1.4cm deep laceration to his ring finger.
He was taken to hospital in stable condition and released the same day.
He also pleaded guilty to intimidating the man and brandishing a knife in a public place.
When police arrived at the scene, they noticed a trail of blood drops along the path.
Officers also saw marks that looked like blood spatter on Ms Donlan’s T-shirt and she had bruises and bloody cuts.
Photos of the dog trainer’s injuries show a large bruise on her shoulder, a cut on her neck and wounds on her legs and hands.
She told officers she could not remember how she got the cuts and bruises.
Although Ms. Donlan struggled to remember that night clearly, videos on her phone clarified her mental state after the altercation.
In a video recorded at 7.34am, she said: “Bro, I just let an unknown guy into my house.”
Four hours later, another video showed her in a state of distress and with blood on her face.
“Guys, I’m not kidding. That bastard tried to attack me,” the 29-year-old said.
He filmed five more videos in quick succession, ranging from telling a friend “I just stabbed someone” to providing instructions on how to care for his dogs in his absence.
“I think I’m about to go to fucking jail because I stabbed a motherfucker,” Ms Donlan recorded herself saying.
“I tried so hard, but this fucking bastard got on my nerves. There’s so much blood and I don’t know anything.”
The dog trainer has earned several five-star reviews online.
On Tuesday, his lawyer told the court that Donlan has “significant and long-standing mental health issues.”
She will return to court in November to be sentenced for the bloody stabbing attack.
Donlan markets herself as a professional dog trainer based in Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, with multiple five-star reviews praising her professionalism and skills.
“A very professional, knowledgeable, polite and efficient dog trainer,” says one review from two years ago.
“Working with Courtnie was really great. She explained everything professionally and confidently,” another user wrote in 2022.
“You can tell he has a lot of experience and works with a lot of dogs.”
Donlan promotes himself as a specialist in obedience, puppy training and behavior modification.
Their services are priced at $300 for an initial 90-minute consultation and $200 per hour for private sessions.
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