A respected dog trainer who filmed herself admitting to stabbing her neighbor after a bloody altercation in Sydney’s eastern suburbs acted out of “excessive self-defence”, a court has been told.
Courtnie Alexandria Donlan, 29, appeared at Downing Center Local Court for sentencing on Monday after pleading guilty to intimidation, reckless wounding and wielding a knife in public.
Donlan was arrested after cutting her neighbor with a kitchen knife following a drinking session. In a video he filmed, he said, “I’m about to go to fucking jail because I stabbed a jerk.”
Lawyer Dean Woodbury told the court that Donlan, who has serious mental health problems, acted “disproportionately” to what she saw as a threat, and told police she had been pinned against a wall.
‘She realized, at home, that she was being threatened by a man she did not know. It was clearly a disproportionate response,” Woodbury told Magistrate Clare Farnan.
And he added: “It was a story that she gave to the police at that time and also to her psychologist.” It was something she believed, but it was clearly not reasonable given the circumstances.
Woodbury said Donlan had faced severe disadvantage from a young age and had spent time homeless, including living in a toilet block on Sydney’s famous Coogee Beach.
‘Life is going to be a struggle for her, but what is noteworthy is that while in custody she seeks support. “Many people in your situation do not have the capacity for self-help,” he said.
Eastern suburbs dog trainer Courtnie Alexandria Donlan (pictured) was sentenced for an attack on her neighbor and pleaded guilty.
The court was told Donlan (pictured) acted in “excessive self-defence”.
Farnan said police had accepted Donlan acted out of “excessive self-defence” and sentenced her to a 15-month intensive correctional order to be served in the community.
“The prosecution have accepted the guilty plea on the basis that they accept that they cannot deny that Ms Donlan did in fact fear for her safety, but that what she did in response to that perception was not a reasonable response in the circumstances.” as I perceived them.” be,” Mrs Farnan told the court.
He said it was “fortunate” the victim had not suffered more serious injuries and that Donlan’s “relationship with dogs had been a major factor in dealing with his mental health issues”.
Court documents reveal Donlan was walking his dogs outside his apartment block in Malabar in the early hours of June 11 last year when he crossed paths with his neighbour, Aaron Holten.
The 38-year-old woman asked him for a cigarette and Donlan invited the man to her apartment, where they chatted for hours while drinking vodka and Redbull before Donlan asked her to leave.
Holten is not charged with any crime and the court was told he told police he had only been abruptly asked to leave the residence.
Documents state that while gathering his belongings, Holten saw Donlan carrying a kitchen knife before picking him up and stabbing him in the arm as he tried to protect himself.
The altercation spread to the common area of the apartment complex where a witness saw Donlan pointing the knife at his neighbor, who threw a laundry basket at the dog handler.
Donlan (training dogs pictured) was released after seven months of pre-trial detention. The court heard she had faced serious disadvantages from a young age.
The incident lasted about 15 minutes and ended after Holten threw a rock in Donlan’s direction. He ran for help after realizing he was “unwell” and was rushed to hospital.
Medical records showed 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.
When police arrived, they noticed a trail of blood drops along the trail before seeing Donlan, who had what appeared to be blood splatters on his shirt and bruises.
Photos of the dog trainer’s injuries show a large bruise on his shoulder, a cut on his neck and wounds on his legs and hands, although he told police he didn’t know how he got them.
As he struggled to remember the night, erratic videos recorded by Donlan shed light for investigators.
At 7:34 a.m., he said in a video: “Bro, I just let some random 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 even joking. The damn idiot tried to attack me,” the 29-year-old said.
He filmed five other videos in quick succession ranging from telling a friend: “I just stabbed an idiot” to giving him instructions on how to care for his dogs in his absence.
“I think I’m about to go to fucking jail because I stabbed some asshole,” Donlan was recorded saying. “I tried so hard, but this damn bastard pressured me.
“There is so much blood and I don’t know.”
Donlan bills himself as a specialist in obedience, puppy training and behavior modification.