Zane Mitai-Ngatai pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court to reckless wounding and affray

Zane Mitai-Ngatai, 28, of William Street, Bathurst formally entered guilty pleas to reckless wounding and affray in Bathurst Local Court on November 23.

Court documents reveal Mitai-Ngatai was inside a home on William Street in Bathurst about 1.45pm on September 6 this year, when the victim and an unknown man walked to the rear of the property and began to drink alcohol.

The victim then, with permission, went inside the house and spoke with Mitai-Ngatai, which soon turned into a heated argument.

Mitai-Ngatai then began to yell at the victim and the unknown man, asking them to leave before he grabbed an axe from inside the house and moved outside where the argument continued.

The court heard both Mitai-Ngatai and the victim were in a fighting stance with their fists clenched when a witness began to record the fight on their phone through a window of a nearby property.

The victim put his hands up after he saw Mitai-Ngatai had an axe moments before Mitai-Ngatai swung the weapon towards the victim, slicing the victim's right ring finger approximately five millimeters deep and seven millimeters long.

Mitai-Ngatai swung the axe two more times towards the victim but did not hit him. This was seen by a passerby who immediately called '000'.

As the unknown man - who accompanied the victim - was standing about 25 metres away, Mitai-Ngatai ran towards him with the axe in hand.

The man, who was facing in the opposite direction, turned around and held his hands in the air.

"I will [expletive] kill you," Mitai-Ngatai said to the man before he walked back to the house.

The court was told Mitai-Ngatai walked the victim inside the home through to the kitchen and out the backyard where he helped with the wound.

Police arrived and knocked on the front door of the address to be greeted by Mitai-Ngatai who had blood on his hands, shirt, pants and white leather Converse high-top shoes.

"I'm going to jail," Mitai-Ngatai said to police.

A different set of officers were watching the back of the property and saw the victim running away.

"Don't hurt him," Mitai-Ngatai said to police about the victim before he was handcuffed and placed under arrest.

Mitai-Ngatai gave police his version of events, where he said he got the axe because the victim and the unknown man were not leaving despite being allegedly asked repeatedly.

He also said it was not his intention to harm the victim.

Mitai-Ngatai was placed in the rear of a caged police vehicle and taken to Bathurst Police Station, as a crime scene was established at the home.

While in custody, Mitai-Ngatai declined to be formally interviewed because he had "nothing to say".

Mitai-Ngatai's solicitor, Mr Primrose entered pleas of guilty to the above charges on his clients behalf, before Magistrate Elizabeth Ellis adjourned the matter to Bathurst Local Court on January 30 next year for sentence.

A Sentencing Assessment Report has been ordered.

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