A man was hit with a hammer and threatened with a knife across his throat as a drug user turned to extortion to pay for his next hit after bombing out on the pokie machines, it was alleged in Napier District Court.
The allegations came yesterday in a Crown prosecutor's opening address at the start of an expected two-day trial in which a man pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated robbery, injuring with intent to injure and demanding with menaces.
A judge had previously ordered permanent suppression of the name of the complainant and anything which could identify his family. There is also interim suppression for the name of the accused.
The charges relate to incidents in Napier on November 28, 2013, which led to the victim's mother allegedly paying $2000 to meet the demands of the accused who prosecutor Rebecca Guthrie said threatened to torch properties belonging to the complainant's family.
Ms Guthrie said the Crown case was that the man was "looking for easy money and was prepared to use threats and violence to get it".