Boys aggressive before shopkeeper's alleged attack, court told

A witness to an alleged assault by a shopkeeper has told the Manukau District Court of threatening behaviour by a group of boys - one of them armed with a knife - before the incident.

Virender Singh is accused of assaulting teenagers who were trying to rob his store in Otara last September 30. He faces two charges of injuring with intent to injure.

Singh has denied the charges on the grounds he acted in self-defence.

Singh's lawyer, Greg King, said there are a number of inconsistencies between what Edmund Vaetoru told police on the day of the brawl and what he has told the court today.

Mr Vaetoru said some things that he told police on the day are missing from his statement. Other things have been added.

"I reckon the police have missed few bits," Mr Vaetoru said.

Mr King said the statement Mr Vaetoru made on the day is "very confusing".

"Today you say it is very hard to remember and it's all a blank," Mr King said.

"How on earth can you give evidence that is of any assistance to the court?"

"Then I shouldn't be here," Mr Vaetoru said.

Mr King has asked a number of questions over who hit who and in what sequence.

He has put it to Mr Vaetoru that Mr Singh hit a man in blue after that man threw a piece of wood at a woman and hit her in the face.

But Mr Vaetoru said it was another man that Singh hit with his hockey stick.

Earlier Mr Vaetoru was sitting in his car outside the shop when a group of five intoxicated teenagers turned up. He said two of the boys asked him to buy them liquor but he refused.

One of the boys then jumped on the bonnet of his car, cracking the windscreen.

Mr Vaetoru said he got out of his car and asked: "Do you want a punch in the face." The boy walked away.

The witness said he went into the dairy but heard "smashing and yelling" and ran outside.

He said he saw one of the boys holding a knife wrapped in a rag. The boy threw the knife at someone but he couldn't see who. Mr Vaetoru said he saw Singh pick the knife up.

A boy then picked up a fence paling, Mr Vaetoru told the court, and tried to hit Singh before smashing the shop window and throwing the wood at a woman, hitting her in the face.

He said one of the boys was on the ground and getting whacked on the back by a man holding a stick.

Another boy had backed off. "He was at the phonebox standing there screaming, making threats. They all were."

The boy on the ground got up and punched man in the face before being hit again by the man with the pole.

Meanwhile another boy was being held down outside liquor shop. "He was getting held down, I just saw blood," Mr Vaetoru said.

He said both Singh and another man were hitting the boy. He said Singh had a hockey stick.

The depositions hearing continues.