Trial begins for murder of young rugby league star

Luke Tipene (Newshub.)
Luke Tipene (Newshub.)

Lawyers for the teenager accused of killing an up-and-coming rugby league player outside an Auckland party say he didn't intend the victim to die.

The jury has been selected in two week trial at the Auckland High Court of Vincent Skeen, 18, accused of murdering Luke Tipene in 2014 in Grey Lynn.

Skeen, who was 16 at the time of the attack, is alleged to have stabbed Tipene with a broken glass bottle during a fight at a Halloween party.

In its opening submission the Crown says both teens arrived at the party just as the scuffle was beginning to break out.

The court heard Luke Tipene turned up to collect his friend who had texted to say he was preparing to fight "one-on-one fight".

Vincent Skeen was seen intervening, and coming to his friend's defence Tipene hit Skeen on the side of his head.

Crown lawyer Brian Dickey says that's when the defendant became enraged.

"He retaliated not with his fists but instead gets a beer bottle which he breaks or smashes. He advances to Tipene who was across the road and commences an attack with the broken bottle."

The court heard there were at least seven blows aimed at his head and neck that left marks on Tipene's body.

"One of those blows with the jagged edge [caused a wound] that ran 10 - 12 centimetres deep. It stopped just short of Luke Tipene's spine, and it pierced a jugular vein."

The jury was also shown the stem of the broken bottle believed to have killed Tipene. The cap remains firmly intact.

Tipene was rushed to hospital, but couldn't be saved and died in the early hours of November 1.

The Crown says while the 17-year-old was being treated, Skeen fled and hid in various places throughout the night.

"We will hear text exchanges with his girlfriend".

He said things like "I gotta gap, I don't know what's going to happen", and "I can't, I don't know if he's going to die".

The defence has also opened its case on Monday, telling the court that Skeen did not intend to kill Tipene.

"At the time he swung out he had no appreciation his actions would or could cause another boy to die," Skeen's lawyer Lorraine Smith told the court.

Ms Smith says Tipene punched her client very hard from behind.

"[Luke Tipene] was bigger and stronger and at least on one further occasion he punched [Skeen] in the head knocking him down again."

She told the court if the jagged bottle had hit Tipene's shoulder, chest, arm or any other part of his body Tipene may well still be alive.

"But unfortunately it connected with his neck in a way that was never intended."

"What Vincent did was wrong but it wasn't murder, it wasn't intended. If he's guilty of anything, he's guilty of manslaughter not guilty of murder."

The trial began in front of a full public gallery, and as the Crown made its opening address Skeen kept his head bowed in the dock.

An earlier trial held in August last year ended with a hung jury.

Justice Mary Peters reminded the jury of seven men and five women to keep an open mind despite extensive media coverage of the case.

Tipene was named the Auckland League's under-17 player of the year, was selected for the New Zealand Maori under-17 side and named in the New Zealand under-17 merit team.

Newshub.