A well-known dog trainer filmed herself confessing to “just stabbing some prick” who “pushed her buttons” after a bloody altercation with her neighbour, a court has heard.
Courtnie Alexandria Donlan, 29, appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday after being charged with five offences in connection with the knife attack.
She was wearing a prison-issued green T-shirt and her hair was pulled back into a bun. She pleaded guilty to harassment, reckless injury and brandishing a knife in public.
The remaining charges, namely wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an offence, have been withdrawn.
Court documents show that Donlan was walking her dogs outside her Malabar apartment complex in the early morning of June 11 last year when she encountered her neighbor, Aaron Holten.
The 38-year-old asked her for a cigarette and she invited him to her place. They chatted for hours, over vodka and Red Bull.
According to court documents, Donlan asked her neighbor to leave late in the morning.
She later told police that Mr. Holten had pushed her against the wall and attempted to perform sexual acts on her.
Eastern Suburbs dog trainer Courtnie Donlan has admitted to stabbing her neighbor with a kitchen knife.
Courtnie Donlan promotes herself as a specialist in obedience, puppy training and behavior modification
However, the facts that Donlan has endorsed as accurate state only that she “suddenly” asked him to leave. Mr. Holten has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Court documents show that when Mr. Holten went to collect his things, he saw that she had a kitchen knife in her hand.
The dog trainer held the weapon up before stabbing Mr. Holten in the arm he had raised to protect himself.
Court documents show that Ms. Donlan continued to brandish the knife and walked toward her neighbor as he backed out of the apartment.
“Are you going to fucking leave? Go the fuck away,” she said to him.
They were heard swearing at each other as they entered the communal area outside the Bilga Crescent apartment complex, where a witness saw Ms Donlan point her knife at her neighbour.
The witness told police that Mr. Holten threw a laundry basket at the dog trainer, but she was not deterred and “continued to take it out on him.”
The conflict lasted about 15 minutes and ended after Mr. Holten threw a rock at Donlan.
He then ran for help when he realized he was “in bad shape,” court documents state.
Medical records show the 38-year-old suffered a deep 1.7cm stab wound to his right upper arm, a stab wound to his chest and a deep 1.4cm cut to his ring finger.
He was taken to hospital in stable condition and discharged later that same day.
She also confessed to intimidating the man and brandishing a knife in a public place.
When police arrived on the scene, they saw a trail of blood drops along the sidewalk.
Officers also observed traces of blood spatter on Ms Donlan’s T-shirt. She showed bruising and bloody cuts.
Photos of the dog trainer’s injuries show a large bruise on her shoulder, a cut on her neck and injuries to her legs and hands.
She told officers she could not remember how she got the cuts and bruises.
Although Ms Donlan struggled to remember the night clearly, the videos on her phone gave some insight into her state of mind after the altercation.
In a video recorded at 7:34 a.m., she said, “Man, I just let a random guy into my house.”
Four hours later, she was seen in another video in a miserable state with blood on her face.
“Guys, I’m not kidding. That fucking prick tried to fucking attack me,” the 29-year-old said.
She filmed five other videos in quick succession, in which she told a friend, “I just stabbed a dick,” and gave instructions on how to care for her dogs in her absence.
“I think I’m going to jail because I stabbed a prick,” Mrs. Donlan recorded herself saying.
‘I tried so f***ing hard, but this f***ing c*** pushed my buttons. There’s so much f***ing blood and I don’t know.’
The dog trainer has collected a number of five-star reviews online
On Tuesday, her lawyer told the court that Donlan has “serious and long-term mental health problems.”
She will appear in court again in November to hear her sentence for the bloody stabbing.
Donlan bills herself as a professional dog trainer based in Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. Her professionalism and skills have been praised in multiple five-star reviews.
“Very professional, knowledgeable, polite and effective dog trainer,” according to a two-year-old review.
“Courtnie was absolutely amazing to work with. She explained everything professionally and confidently,” wrote another reviewer in 2022.
‘You can tell she has a lot of experience and works with a lot of dogs.’
Donlan profiles himself as a specialist in obedience, puppy training and behavior modification.
Her services cost $300 for an initial 90-minute consultation and $200 per hour for private sessions.