Punch leads to manslaughter charge

File photo / NZ Herald

Two total strangers out drinking with separate groups of friends in Upper Hutt early on a Sunday last year met briefly while walking to a bar.

A punch was thrown, leaving one man dead as a result of his head hitting the ground, and the other on trial now in the High Court at Wellington for manslaughter.

Thomas Edwin Baugh, 23, an English immigrant who is a trained boxer, has admitted hitting Kane Toa Temarama, 27, in the face but has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.

Defence lawyer Greg King says it was self defence.

The crown alleges Baugh had been getting drunk, rowdy and aggressive leading up to the tragic events of that night.

As he walked into the city centre with his mates after socialising at a house, the accused kicked a gate and had a verbal confrontation with the residents, prosecutor Michael Snape told the court.

Further on, Baugh got into an altercation with father of two Mr Temarama, punching him in the face.

Mr Temarama's head hit the footpath so hard that people in the vicinity looked to see what the "loud, smacking" noise was, said Mr Snape.

While Baugh quickly left the scene, the victim was "in trouble straight away". He never regained consciousness and died in Wellington Hospital some hours later from blunt force injury to the head caused by the fall.

In his opening statement to the jury of seven men and five women, Mr King said Baugh did not dispute that he had punched Mr Temarama.

The Crown must prove that the punch thrown was an illegal act, he said.

The trial is set down for two weeks.

- NZPA