Murder accused says brothers' stabbing in self-defence

A man accused of murdering one man and injuring his brother says he was acting in self-defence. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

A Geelong man who repeatedly stabbed a 26-year-old amid a romantic dispute and left him for dead with a 14 centimetre-deep chest wound says he acted in self-defence.

Ashley Roy Feetham is facing a Supreme Court trial accused of murdering Dylan Bond and seriously injuring his younger brother Heath Bond.  

Feetham was in a relationship with Heath's ex-fiancee Abbey Sexton after the couple broke up because of his and Ms Sexton's affair.

About a fortnight after the break-up on Saturday April 24, 2021, Ms Sexton and Feetham were out  with friends in Geelong's CBD when Heath - who was at a different nightclub with his own mates - caught wind his ex was nearby.

The pair met up in the early hours of Sunday and had an emotional discussion about their broken relationship, before Feetham - agitated his girlfriend was speaking to her ex - interrupted and the men fought, prosecutor Mark Gibson KC told a jury on Thursday.

The former couple organised to meet again on April 26 and Ms Sexton ended up speaking to Heath's older brother Dylan about the CBD fight.

She relayed the conversation back to Feetham who went on to message Dylan on Facebook, the prosecutor said.

The messages between the men gradually got more heated, with Dylan saying, "let's sort it", and Feetham telling him to come to Ms Sexton's house, Mr Gibson said.

Feetham then messaged his sister, saying: "Heath and his brother are coming to Abbey's to get me. Can you bring me a hammer or something?"

Feetham's sister and mother later pulled up outside the house in separate cars - his mother, with a rake in the front seat - and talked between themselves while Feetham sat on the front porch on the phone, Mr Gibson said.

When the Bond brothers arrived that afternoon, they sat in their car for about five minutes before coming out and telling Feetham's sister they weren't going to touch Feetham, the prosecutor said.

Heath walked around to the side of the house and yelled "Ash" before opening a sliding door when Feetham ran towards him and stabbed him with a large kitchen knife, the prosecutor said.

Dylan then got into a scuffle with and tried to restrain Feetham, who ultimately stabbed him multiple times, including fatally in the chest, Mr Gibson alleged.

Feetham's sister hit the Bond brothers with the metal rake before she left with her children in the car, while Feetham got into his mother's car and she drove him to hospital to treat cuts to his hand, the prosecutor said.

Dylan died at the scene while Heath required surgery and spent several days in intensive care.

Defence barrister Hayden Rattray said Feetham was at every stage acting in self-defence.

Feetham, who was 22 at the time, told police it was Dylan who took the knife from the bench after the two brothers were on top of him and punching him.

He said he quickly grabbed the knife from Dylan - injuring his hand - and swung it at him.

He also told officers he didn't know Dylan was Heath's brother, the prosecutor said.

Mr Rattray questioned the brothers' motivation for coming to the house and why they wouldn't tell Feetham they meant him no harm.

Feetham locked himself inside the home before the brothers' forced entry, the barrister said.

The trial before Judge Stephen Kaye continues.

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store