A 36-year-old man is standing trial for murder after killing his partner while on bail for a previous violent assault on her, NZME reports.
Robert Roupere Hohua is accused of murdering Marie Rose Harlick in November 2016.
Prosecutor Richard Jenson told the Tauranga High Court Hohua and Ms Harlick had been in a two-year relationship.
However at the time of Ms Harlick's death, Hohua was on bail for a charge of assault with intent to injure, and wasn't allowed within 100m of her, NZME reports.
Mr Jensen said the couple had been drinking together before Ms Harlick's death. Later that night, Hohua feared Ms Harlick was cheating on him and went to her house.
Ms Harlick was too drunk to talk - so an "enraged" Hohua attacked her, allegedly for 20 minutes.
"[Hohua] consciously took a risk to dice with Ms Harlick's life," Mr Jenson said.
However his defence lawyer, Gene Tomlinson, told the jury Hohua didn't mean to kill Ms Harlick and was only guilty of manslaughter, NZME reports.
"The issue for you is to decide what was in his mind during the assault," he said in court.
"Mr Hohua assaulted Marie that night and as a consequence she died. There is no issue with that. He is clearly guilty of manslaughter.
"The real issue is did he know, consciously, what he was doing was likely to kill her? Your job is not to hold him to account. Your job is to decide what was in his mind."
Newshub.
