A man who allegedly launched a frenzied knife attack on a man at the Belconnen bus interchange last month was out for revenge, a court has heard.
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Miroslav Jovanovic, 55, pleaded not guilty on Friday to stabbing a man six or seven times with a small folding knife in early April.
The 38-year-old victim was left with a punctured lung and severed arteries between his ribs, according to court documents. Police say the victim would have died without emergency treatment.
Mr Jovanovic applied for bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday, after his first bid for release failed in late April. The court heard the alleged stabbing, first thought to be random, was part of a revenge attack on the man, after a dispute with Mr Jovanovic's son several years earlier.
CCTV footage of the attack was viewed by the court, and magistrate Peter Morrison noted that the prosecution's case appeared strong.
Mr Jovanovic is accused of punching the man in the back of the head as he waited for a bus, before putting him in a stranglehold.
His girlfriend was then heard to call out, ''Don't stab him,'' before he allegedly struck the victim in the back and shoulder repeatedly.
The prosecution raised fears that, if released, Mr Jovanovic might try to intimidate or harass the victim or witnesses, and try to interfere with evidence. It said there was no evidence that the antagonism that drove the revenge attack had abated.
Mr Jovanovic's lawyer, Rachel Bird, said her client would be forced to wait for a considerable time in prison before facing trial in the ACT Supreme Court, given the court's delays. She said he had strong ties to the ACT and was on a methadone program with a high dosage.
Police had already had a month to complete investigations, enough time to dispel fears of Mr Jovanovic interfering with evidence and witnesses.
Bail was denied and Mr Jovanovic will appear in court again in June.
