UPDATED: The man who was stabbed on Tuesday afternoon in the community of Bulman, has told the NT Independent he was randomly attacked and was scared for his life as another man repeatedly stabbed him while telling him he was “going to die”.

The NT Police once again only made the alleged attack public after receiving questions from the NT Independent.

The victim, Shaun Martin, said he was at work with the local shire council when his vehicle was rammed from the front by 44-year-old Charlie Bush, who is now in custody.

“We were at work and got rammed by his car and then this person ran at me with two knives and he started punching me. I tried to defend myself and then fell and he was on top of me stabbing me,” he told the NT Independent over the phone from Gove District Hospital.

Mr Martin was stabbed in the back of his left shoulder, and he said his head and right forearm were slashed, and he bled profusely. He said Mr Bush then tried to get into the medical centre of time while he was being treated.

“I thought I was going to die. He kept saying ‘you’re going to die, I’m the last voice you’re going to hear, you won’t see your family anymore’. I was scared for my life.”

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Jeremy Brunton said the alleged attacker was arrested and has been charged with recklessly endangering serious harm, aggravated assault and going armed in public.

Mr Martin said he wanted to see the 44-year-old charged with attempted murder.

“Those charges are not good enough,” he said.

“He should be charged with murder, he was looking at me in the eye saying he was going to kill me while he stabbed me.”

Original reports from sources said the man was stabbed over money being owed to the alleged attacker.

“He kept asking for his money and yesterday had enough, and he went with a knife, stabbed him in the chest, and neck, and slashed his arm,” the source alleged.

However, Mr Martin said the man – who he had known since he was a child – kept yelling at him about owing him alcohol, which he had not knowledge of, but suggested he may have incorrectly identified him as someone else.

Mr Martin is now in a stable condition.

Act Snr Sgt Brunton called for witnesses for the incident that police said happened outside a business 250km northeast of Katherine as the crow flies, about 1.30pm on Tuesday.

He said the alleged offender initially ran off, and then allegedly assaulted another man and a woman in a nearby property – who did not require treatment – before being arrested by local police shortly after.

However Mr Martin said there are no local police and, he was told police had come from Maranboy Police Station, which is about 235km away towards Katherine, and did not arrest Mr Bush until at least 7pm, with children having been let out from school between when he was stabbed at the arrest. Another police source confirmed there are no officers stationed in Bulman.

Act Snr Sgt Brunton said the alleged offender has been charged with recklessly endangering serious harm, aggravated assault, and going armed in public, and has been remanded to appear in Katherine Local Court on June 21.

“Investigations are ongoing and police are urging anyone who witnessed the assaults, specifically the first assault outside the business, to make contact on 131 444,” he said.

“We believe a male and female were passing through the community at the time of the incident, possibly driving a blue LandCrusier, who may have information that will assist police with enquiries.”

Police put out the media statement minutes after being sent questions by the NT Independent. They did not respond to the questions.

Last week, the media unit issued a release about riots and violence in Wadeye that had been going on for weeks, including the burning of 36 houses, an hour and a half after being sent questions by the NT Independent.

That media release was just the third from NT Police about Wadeye in two months, the first being about two police officers being assaulted on April 8, and the second about a teenager being charged with manslaughter over the death of the 32-year-old.

The NT Police’s suppression of crime tactics follow on from the NT Independent’s exclusive series of articles last year exposing how alleged rapes, and sexual assaults, including of children, had not been made public soon after they had happened – even in cases when the alleged offender was still at large – or the sexual part of the assault had been hidden, and in one case, the executive had not made public the alleged rape element of a break-in, only describing it as a break-in and robbery.