I was just defending myself: Bouncer

A bouncer alleged to have murdered a drunken man he stopped from entering a Napier nightclub gave a full interview to a detective almost immediately after the early-morning death, a High Court trial in Napier was told yesterday.
Jonathon Charles Te Kahu, of Napier, was spoken to by an officer moments after police arrived about 2.30am on April 17 last year. He agreed to go to the Napier police station, and an interview with a detective began at 4.10am.
In the recording played to the jury, birds could be heard as daybreak arrived, during the interview. The then 24-year-old Te Kahu told of the bar-entrance fracas which resulted in the death of 30-year-old Flaxmere man James Gregory Sciascia, and said what he did was "self-defence".
Napier CIB member Detective John McCarthy said Te Kahu seemed calm throughout, despite having just had it confirmed that Mr Sciascia had died.
Te Kahu, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and an alternative one of intentionally causing the man grievous bodily harm by kicking him in the head, said during the hour-long questioning: "I think I did kick him. I think I just did it once."
Asked by the officer how doormen were expected to deal with difficult patrons, he said: "You've got to take what they say ... If they give you shit, you've just got to take it. If they hit you, you've got to use self defence".
"I just went overboard ... I think ... I dunno," he said, trying to explain what happened.
"I don't know if I connected. I got pulled out of the way."
He said the incident started after he told Mr Sciascia he was too drunk to be allowed in.
"I said, 'I'm sorry mate, I can't let you in. you're too pissed'," Te Kahu told the officer.
The officer gave evidence to the court after an ESR analyst's report was read out, revealing that Mr Sciascia's blood was found to have contained 211mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, while a urine specimen showed traces of cannabis use.
Te Kahu had told the detective a woman appeared to be be encouraging Mr Sciascia to accept the refusal at the door, but the victim became "mouthy", and said he was going to "waste me".
"He started pushing me, then he hit me. That's when I retaliated ... I hit him back."
Other witnesses told the court the scuffle moved across the footpath and after Mr Sciascia fell, Te Kahu kicked him in the head.
An ambulance took about 17 minutes to get to the scene from Hastings, a paramedic told Crown prosecutor Jonathan Krebs. The officers found Mr Sciascia had stopped breathing and had no pulse.
The Crown case was expected to end with pathologists' evidence today. Defence counsel Steve Manning has not said whether he will call any evidence in the trial which started on Monday. It is expected to last five days.
Proceeding