KEY POINTS:
The former partner of murder accused Antonie Dixon has recounted the moment he attacked her with a samurai sword, slicing her hand off, as he yelled she was a sacrifice to Allah.
Simonne Butler told the High Court in Auckland today how she thought Dixon's increased use of methamphetamine added to his increasingly fragile state of mind.
Dixon, 40, faces eight charges relating to incidents that occurred in January 2003 when Renee Gunbie and Ms Butler were attacked with a samurai sword at Pipiroa near Thames and James Te Aute was shot dead in Auckland.
Dixon was found guilty in 2005 of eight charges, including murder and causing grievous bodily harm but the Court of Appeal later ordered a second trial, suppressing its reasons for quashing the original verdicts.
Dixon sat with his head bowed during Ms Butler's testimony, occasionally looking up at his former partner.
Ms Butler met Dixon in 1997 although she had known of him for a few years and a friendship developed, which led to a relationship at Labour weekend 1997.
"He sort of sucked me into his orbit," she said.
"I had extremely low self-esteem and he was obsessed with me"
Dixon was witty, clever and intelligent but was always paranoid, she said.
Prior to the day "he tried to kill me", Ms Butler says she could not recall Dixon speaking to her in religious terms but did talk about bugs being planted in his skin.
"I just thought he was ridiculous. Because I had been through so much with him, I was just over it. As long as he was away from me it was all good."
Ms Gunbie moved in to their home in October 2002 and stayed "until he tried to kill us".
On the day of the attack Dixon was agitated and started screaming at Ms Gunbie, turning on Ms Butler, accusing her of sleeping with police.
The argument became physical and "then it was all on," she said.
Dixon started yelling he wanted to chop their heads off, telling Ms Butler to kneel down so her head would land in a laundry basket.
Dixon told her if she admitted sleeping with police she would not be a sacrifice.
"He was slicing, just coming at us. I don't remember seeing the sword, just the action.
"I caught my left hand when it came off and I stuck I back on."
Dixon told Ms Butler she was a "sacrifice ordered by Allah because I was paraboling him" and sleeping with police.
Ms Gunbie was lying on the floor not moving, she said.
Roger Reekers, a friend who was in the house, eventually talked Dixon out of the house.
Ms Butler said she "stuck myself back together as best I could" and crawled over to a bed. She next remembered being in a Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
The trial continues.
- NZPA
