Man found guilty over sword attack

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A District Court jury in Albury found Terrence Leslie Cocks, 31, guilty on a charge of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.

But the jury of six men and six women found him not guilty on five other charges, including two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, reckless wounding and another count of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The jury deliberated for about four hours on the fourth day of Cocks’ trial before coming back with its verdicts.

It had been told Albury man Heath Parkinson was struck twice with a samurai sword in a confrontation at a North Albury home on November 16, 2008.

Mr Parkinson said he was “hacked up” and suffered permanent damage from an injury to his right hand.

He had also received a severe cut to his left arm above the elbow.

The jury was told Cocks ran at Mr Parkinson with the sword raised above his right shoulder.

“I stood still, I was in shock and he struck me above the left elbow,” Mr Parkinson said.

“He then did a big axe swing over his head and I put my right hand up to stop it coming down on my head and it pretty much chopped my hand in half.”

Mr Parkinson claimed he blacked out from blood loss before regaining consciousness and he saw a taxi coming down Smith Street.

“I was thinking I was going to die,” he said.

“I was lucky the taxi was coming down the street. I flagged it and went straight to Albury hospital.”

He said as a result of the cut to his left arm he had suffered severe nerve and tendon damage and while he could move it, there was a sensation of numbness and lack of feeling.

The jury was told Cocks suffered a head wound and spent time in hospital under observation before being allowed to leave a couple of days after the incident.

Judge David Frearson continued bail for Cocks and adjourned his sentencing to Sydney on June 25.

Barrister Alan Blackman sought the adjournment for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.