Man pleads guilty to stabbing Newcastle bodyboarder Ryan Duck

Billy Jo James Brown, 36, was expected to face a trial in Taree District Court this week after he pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent over the stabbing of Mr Duck at a holiday park on the Lakes Way just after midnight on November 28.

Brown had raised self-defence and that was likely to be the central issue during the trial.

But on Tuesday, Brown was re-arraigned and pleaded guilty to reckless wounding after prosecutors agreed to withdraw the more serious charge.

He remains behind bars and will be sentenced in August.

Mr Duck, a Newcastle bar manager on a trip away with his staff, was stabbed in the arm, chest and stomach and suffered serious injuries to his hand, diaphragm and lung when he was stabbed by Brown.

He was urgently flown to John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition, where he underwent about six hours of surgery.

He lost two litres of blood and would have died if not for the intervention of his staff and emergency services.

Brown was arrested at a war memorial on the Lakes Way, about five kilometres from Forster-Tuncurry, about 6am on November 28 and was later charged with stabbing Mr Duck and refused bail.

The court heard on Tuesday that Brown had a "long history of mental illness" and while he had spent a significant time in custody awaiting trial, it was not a case where a sentence of time served was "even close".