Trial starts for Whakatāne murder accused, alleged victim stabbed in chest and heart

Tāneatua man Dallas Fraser Hohua is on trial in the Rotorua High Court defending a murder charge. Photo / Kelly Makiha

A single stab wound to the chest and heart killed Lani Paul, a jury has heard.

The man accused of murdering the 29-year-old is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua.

The trial of Tāneatua man Dallas Fraser Tihini Hohua, 57, resumed today. He denies murdering Paul on October 23 last year.

During his opening address, Crown prosecutor Ben Smith told the jury Paul was stabbed in the chest with a knife during a confrontation between him and Hohua.

Smith said Paul arrived at Whakatāne Hospital at about 11.50pm on October 23.

"He had fresh bruising to his face and head. But that isn't why he was there and that is not why we are here either. He was alive when he arrived at the hospital but he was dying.

"Paul had been stabbed once in the chest. The weapon went between his ribs on the left side of his ribcage, his sixth rib and completely through his heart.

"This led to bleeding into the cavity of his chest. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff he died at the hospital and was pronounced dead at 11.22am the next morning."

Smith said the single stab wound was the direct cause of Paul's death.

"Dallas Hohua inflicted that stab wound when he stabbed Mr Paul with a knife after a confrontation and in doing so he murdered Lani Paul."

Smith said during the trial the jury would hear from a number of witnesses, some of whose evidence would be read.

He also gave a brief overview of the facts of the Crown case.

Smith said Paul and Hohua were known to each other and lived a few properties apart in Hotene St, Whakatāne.

On the evening of October 23, Paul and his partner and some of their friends went to Hohua's address. They drank alcohol in the garage at the back of the house.

Smith said sometime after 11pm Paul had an argument with someone else and Hohua and his partner decided it was time to close the party down and everyone should leave.

"They told everyone to get off the property, including Mr Paul. Now people had been drinking and there was some resistance as they wanted the party to carry on," he said.

Tāneatua man Dallas Fraser Hohua is on trial in the Rotorua High Court defending a murder charge. Photo / NZME

Smith said a fight broke out between Paul, Hohua and other people, there was yelling and other people gathered in the street to watch what was taking place.

He said the jury would hear from some of those witnesses, including other partygoers.

"At one point the defendant approached Lani Paul and struck him about the face with his fists ... Mr Paul was led away to the footpath where he removed his shirt, his hat and started walking back towards the property and this confrontation continued."

Smith also told the jury that confrontation reached a point where a witness, who will give evidence for the Crown, retrieved a baseball bat from his car and went to help Hohua.

"At a critical point Mr Paul had a piece of paling in his hand, another man had the bat, and at that point the defendant moved closer to Mr Paul and stabbed him," he said.

Smith said Paul stumbled a bit before collapsing and Hohua went back inside his house, while one of Paul's associates drove the injured man to Whakatāne Hospital.

Paul was pronounced dead the next morning, having suffered a 7.5cm-deep and 2cm-wide stab wound, Smith said.

Smith said the jury would also hear from a witness who would give evidence that after he saw Paul topless and bleeding, he saw Hohua holding a knife.

He said several police officers involved in the investigation would give evidence, along with the doctor who treated Paul and the pathologist who carried out the autopsy.

Tāneatua man Dallas Fraser Hohua is on trial in the Rotorua High Court defending a charge of murder. Photo /Kelly Makiha

Smith said Hohua denied assaulting Paul when interviewed by the police.

"This is not a case where the Crown is able to say we found the knife, it has fingerprints and Mr Paul's blood on it. We don't have that.

"Several knives were found inside Hohua's house and on two there was probable blood. On one of those knives there was insufficient DNA evidence to identify whose blood it was, and on the other it was confirmed that it was not Lani Paul's blood."

The Crown must prove the murder charge beyond reasonable doubt and Hohua was entitled to the presumption of innocence until they delivered their verdict, he said.

Smith urged the jury to put aside any feelings of sympathy or prejudice and listen carefully to all the evidence.

The defence did not submit an opening statement.

The trial, presided over by Justice Matthew Muir, is expected to take to two weeks.