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A South Launceston man punched and stabbed another man who had sex on the couch with his partner in his house, the Supreme Court in Launceston heard.
Daniel James Crisp has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Daniel James McNeill by punching him to the head and body several times on March 16, 2019.
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He has also pleaded not guilty to committing an unlawful act with the intention of causing bodily harm and that he did cause grievous bodily harm to Mr McNeill by stabbing him to the abdomen and chest several times with a knife.
Defence counsel Grant Tucker said the issue at the trial was that Mr Crisp went to the defence of another, his female partner, who was being sexually assaulted by Mr McNeill while she was comatose on the couch.
"He was defending his partner from a gross attack," Mr Tucker said.
The jury heard that Mr McNeill went to an event at Royal Park with his wife and two children where he had five cans of beer.
He was later turned away from the All Year Round hotel for being too intoxicated.
Shortly after he went alone to the Cock and Bull Hotel where he met Mr Crisp's partner, who was pushing a pram with a baby, and a female friend.
Mr McNeill gave evidence that he was invited back to the Pipeworks Road home she shared with Mr Crisp.
"It wasn't far from my house and I was keen to have a few more beers," he said.
He said he had watched music videos and sat on the couch.
He told Crown prosecutor Peter Sherriff that she had been "running Daniel down through the night" and saying"don't worry about him".
He wasn't sure about the relationship between Mr Crisp and his partner.
He said they had started getting close to one another and she had started giving him oral sex before having sexual intercourse.
"I'm not sure what words were said. ..but she was interested and it was all consensual," he said.
Mr McNeill said he shortly after received about ten punches to the back of the head.
He was trying to "get out of there" when he realised he had been stabbed several times in the chest and stomach and saw blood on his shirt.
Under cross-examination from Mr Tucker, he said he was unaware of the relationship between the woman and Mr Crisp.
"I suggest you invented the oral sex and sexual intercourse," he asked.
"It happened," Mr McNeill said.
Mr McNeill conceded that he had not originally wanted to make a complaint to police,
"I was worried about my family and my wife finding out because I had been unfaithful," he said.
The trial continues on Monday afternoon.