Victim's machete 'like a teddy bear to him', witness tells

A man who was allegedly the victim of an attempted murder owned a machete that was ''like a teddy bear to him,'' a witness has told a Canberra court.

Phuong Viet Nguyen, 25, is on trial accused of trying to kill 31-year-old Thanh Tran and discharging a loaded firearm at him in a Belconnen backyard last year.

A prosecution witness, Rebecca Weatherill, told the ACT Supreme Court Mr Tran was her sister's partner's cousin and was living in a tent in her back garden at the time.

She said that on the night of October 19, she heard what sounded like a car backfiring before Mr Tran came into the house carrying the machete he kept under his bed, locked the doors of the house and refused to let her go outside.

''I said, 'Dude, what the f---? Why are you carrying a machete?'' she told the court.

''He said, 'Phuong's trying to rob me,' and I said, 'Are you sure it's Phuong? Because I took Phuong to Sydney.' He said, 'I know what Phuong looks like'.''

For more on this story, including details of Ms Weatherill's comments that Mr Tran was "in love with" the machete, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.

Source: The Canberra Times