Intruder punched and stomped on victim, jury told

Yin Ping Yang died three days after being attacked in her home. Photo / Supplied

An intruder looking for cash allegedly punched a grandmother in the head, stomped on her chest and dragged her by the hair as he tried to stuff her into a wardrobe, an Auckland jury has heard.

Yin Ping Yang, 80, died in Middlemore Hospital on June 14, three days after she was attacked and beaten in her Manurewa, south Auckland, home.

The Crown alleges Olinale Ah You, 30, murdered the elderly woman when he entered the home in 2008, on June 11 looking for money. She lived with with her son, daughter-in-law, and their three children but was home alone when the attack occurred.

Opening the Crown case at the High Court at Auckland today, prosecutor Alysha McClintock said Ah You accepted he was at the house to steal and accepted the acts committed by him caused her death.

Asked to enter his plea at the High Court at Auckland today, Ah You said: "Not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter."

Ms McClintock said Ah You assaulted Mrs Yang by inflicting blows mostly to her head and chest, "blows which were fatal."

She told the court Mrs Yang was able to give police a statement while she was critically ill in hospital and she described what happened to her.

"She said she was upstairs in her lounge turning off the TV when she was confronted by an intruder, now known to be Mr Ah You."

The prosecutor said he grabbed her from behind with his left arm and wrapped his right hand over her mouth. He forced her down the stairs to a bedroom and spoke to her as he did so, but she couldn't understand what he was saying.

"He tried to push her onto the bed but she resisted...He tried to force her into a wardrobe but the wardrobe was full and she couldn't fit in and she fell to the ground."

Once on the ground, Ah You is alleged to have tried to put her in the wardrobe again, this time by pulling her towards it by the hair. Again, she resisted. He then kicked her and hit her in the head and she again fell down.

"He kicked her twice in the chest and stomped on her chest with such force that she lost consciousness."

She said it was unknown why Ah You inflicted the injuries on Mrs Yang, but it could have been so he could get away with stealing or to make her do what he wanted.

Ah You allegedly stole about $2100 cash from Mrs Yang's grandson, she said.

When her family returned home they found her on the floor with her head partly under the bed and her feet by the wardrobe.

"She had a duvet cover over her and she was in a distressed state."

There was vomit in the room, and with no signs of forced entry, her family thought she may have fallen and hurt herself or became ill, However, doctors later said her injuries weren't consistent with a fall and the police were called.

A jury of six women and six men has been selected to hear the trial, which is expected to last two weeks.